


The Custody Conundrum

by The_Consulting_Werewolf



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Frenemies, M/M, they hate each other more tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-10-22 06:05:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 91,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10691256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Consulting_Werewolf/pseuds/The_Consulting_Werewolf
Summary: Yifan, the popular actor, and Junmyeon, the busy doctor, had hated each other's existence since they met way back in high school. But when their best friends die in an accident, they have to come together to care for their kids. Yifan isn't amused, and Junmyeon is very close to committing a homicide. And looking after three kids is not a joke.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back again with a stupid plot :)

Wu Yifan hates a lot of things. But this one takes the cake. And the entire damn bakery.

Yifan just really hates inexperienced, bumbling, fumbling co-stars. And hates it even more when they are nineteen and female and so fucking starry-eyed. Yes, he is handsome, _get over it_. Don’t they realise how much it costs the production when they keep wasting time like this? This is why he doesn’t like working with new actors. They all go breathy and dumb and say shit like, “Oh my god Yifan-sshi, don’t look at me like that!” Well, he is not looking at you, his character is! He wishes he could shout that in their faces. But Minseok would strangle him if he did so.

Like right now, his short Korean manager is glaring at him and sending him telepathic messages through his big, very expressive eyes from the side. He can tell Yifan is very close to losing his cool as Mimi, the nineteen years old actress, messes up her lines for the fifteenth time. Yifan glares back at Minseok.

Minseok takes pity. He sighs and walks up to the director behind the camera and talks to him. The director looks conflicted for a minute before he is vigorously nodding his head. Then he says, “Okay, everybody, let’s take a break!”

Yifan sighs in relief. His manager, and best friend, Kim Minseok, is a tough nut, but sometimes he can be kind. Yifan is glad Minseok, in all their years of association, hasn’t actually killed him in his sleep.

They are the same age, and they met when Yifan was a fumbling yet arrogant fresh-out-of-school student looking to get signed in one of the country’s biggest entertainment agencies. Now, he wasn’t looking forward to becoming an idol because he knew he was no dancer, and his singing was restricted to the privacy of his home and he would never be confident enough to sing in front of people without wanting to throw up, so a modelling contract was what he wanted. He was blessed with the height, the body and the face, so scoring a contract was a breeze. He remembers meeting Minseok, who was there for an internship, and when Yifan got that contract, Minseok was the intern following Yifan’s then manager around. Their relationship had begun with Yifan spilling Minseok’s coffee all over his shirt, but over the course of ten years, Yifan and Minseok now have a healthy love-hate relationship where Minseok is the grudging parent and Yifan his unrelenting child. It is fine so far.

Yifan sits down and takes the water bottle offered by an AD. He takes a sip and his eyes graze over the set. He did start out in modelling, but moved into acting soon after, and despite initial criticism of another “model turned actor”, he is doing pretty great now at keeping both fans and critics happy. Minseok strolls up to him and presses his shoulders. He says, “You have to be patient.”

Yifan grunts and screws the lid of the water bottle with a sneer. He angrily whispers, “I have been patient. I should be rewarded for not making her cry yet!”

Minseok chuckles, “That’s true, but she’s just a kid Fan. I can already imagine the waterworks if you shout at her with that voice of yours.”

Yifan raises his hands to rub his face, but stops when he remembers he still has a face full of makeup and the makeup artist would be very unhappy if he messed up her hard work. He balls his hands on his lap and cranes his neck back to see Minseok scrolling through his phone with a small smile on his face. Yifan smirks as Minseok types a message, “Someone’s happy…”

Minseok rolls his eyes and pockets his phone. He cuffs Yifan on his shoulder and says, “Shut up.”

Yifan cackles at the rising pink in Minseok’s cheeks. He can guess who Minseok was texting very easily. “So, I suppose your date with Seohyun went well, huh?”

Minseok bites his lip, and takes a deep breath, as if trying to find the divine motivation to not choke Yifan to death. He hardens his jaw, “Yes, it went well.”

Yifan scoffs and the smirk is still in place, which is a tad bit more satisfied, “Of course it had to go well. You should thank me for introducing you two.”

“How about I put your head under water till you hear angels singing in your ear?”

Yifan looks up, a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. “Gosh, the world sure has become a cruel place, no place for kind people.”

Minseok presses his knuckle on Yifan’s temple, which makes the latter yelp in pain. Minseok shakes his head and laughs, “Yeah, whatever. Thanks you moron.”

As Minseok moves away, Yifan shouts, “Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding though! And I will be the best man obviously!” Minseok flips him the middle finger in response over his back.

From the corner of his eye, Yifan can see the director trying to not scream at his young co-actor. He wonders if it’s not just him exasperated with the teenager. He shakes his head as he unscrews his water bottle and takes another sip of his water. He thinks he should have never signed a movie about an older man falling for a younger girl. In retrospect, the script was great and he loved how his character is a snarky, sarcastic little shit. He hardly had to act. But his co-actor though…how in the name of everything holy is he supposed to develop chemistry with her?

He really wants to escape, go back home, crawl under his covers and stay there till next week. But alas, he had already cashed the cheque for this movie and he has his signature etched across contracts. The story is so, so interesting, and he knows his fans will like this new side to him, but he is very close to shaking his poor co-star so hard that he hopes her grey cells align in place and she stops behaving like a fool.

He falls back on the chair and picks at a thread. At least he has that Wong Kar-Wai film to look forward to. He always wanted to work with that man; and he is over the moon knowing he will get to work with the legendary director in a few months.

Minseok ambles back to him, his face set in a sombre look. Yifan has a joke about Seohyun on the tip of his tongue, then he realises Minseok has his phone clutched in his hand. Yifan never carries his own mobile phone when working, always keeping it under Minseok’s care. Minseok extends his hand as Yifan frowns, but before the latter can ask what is wrong, the other says, “You better take this.”

Yifan takes the phone and puts it against his head. An unknown female voice says, “Wu Yifan?”

“Yes speaking?” Yifan asks with a frown.

“I am Bae Joohyun, Ahn Soohyun and Changsun’s lawyer. Could you please come down to my office today? I will text you my address.”

The mention of his two childhood friends’ names jolts Yifan. Why would their lawyer call him up? he just met them a week ago (along with _that man_ ). He tentatively asks, “Um, can I ask why you are calling me?”

The woman sighs. “Mr Wu, I am sorry to say this but your friends died in an accident last night, and as their lawyer it is my duty to inform you that they made you one of the guardians for their children.”

Yifan’s phone nearly slips out of his grip. He locks his gaze with Minseok, wanting his manager to confirm this is a nightmare and everything will be okay. That he just saw Changsun and Soohyun discussing last week about the vacation they were going to take the kids on and this is some sort of joke—that last week was definitely not the last time he saw his friends of more than a decade. Yifan’s lips quiver, unable to form a response as a dead weight settles on his chest and he finds himself unable to breathe.

Minseok takes pity on him and gently extracts the phone from Yifan’s grip. He affirms into the speaker, “He will be there Ms Bae.” Minseok ends the call and presses Yifan’s shoulder firmly. He isn’t surprised when he feels Yifan’s body trembling. He removes his hand and rushes over to the director to inform that they won’t be filming anymore today.

 

Kim Junmyeon has the patience of an angel. Nothing frazzles him. Except right now, his patience is running so damn thin.

Junmyeon wants to scream at the mother in front of him who is trying to convince him that vaccines cause autism. Junmyeon wants to scream, “WHO IS THE ONE WITH THE MEDICAL DEGREE?” But he doesn’t, because he is not the screaming kind. Even though autism is congenital and not an acquired disease, and he has a degree to prove his knowledge, he still doesn’t shout. Just smiles like the Buddha, like he has already attained nirvana. And he absolutely doesn’t want to commit homicide.

“Mrs Jung please—”, Junmyeon starts.

“No, Dr Kim, you don’t get it! It’s brand new research in America! The American doctors cannot be wrong!” Mrs Jung keeps trying to convince him.

The Americans also think Darwinism is a joke and teach their schoolchildren creationism, Junmyeon wants to say. “Mrs Jung—”

“No, no!”

Junmyeon has had enough. A part of him wants this obnoxious woman to hurt and wants to wait for her to learn her lesson when her son falls seriously ill of a disease that could have been easily preventable. But then that is a terrible thought, and the kid doesn’t deserve it, thus, the other part tries again, “Mrs Jung, I am the doctor here.” He tries to keep his face as serious as possible.

Mrs Jung raises one perfect eyebrow, “So?”

Junmyeon bites back the urge to sigh and roll his eyes—that would be rude and that is not how his mother raised him. He crosses his arms and says in his most professional tone, “Mrs Jung I know from experience what happens when you do not vaccinate your child.”

Mrs Jung has a curious gleam in her eyes when she exhales, “Oh?”

Junmyeon nods his head. He can see the light, of course he should have seen it earlier. Mrs Jung is those types of people who find exhilaration in other people’s problems and then decides on their course of action. Junmyeon has seen too many people like her in his short career as a paediatrician. He tries to inject as much credulity as he can in his voice as he can, to make himself sound like he is letting her on in a big secret. “Yes, the mother, like you, refused vaccination.” He leans closer, “Do you know what happened?”

Mrs Jung leaned closer as well, her eyes shining so bright, Junmyeon ends up comparing her to a squirrel in his head. “What?”

“Well, let’s just say children do not die of measles if they are vaccinated. Can you imagine dying of measles? Terrible.” Junmyeon finishes solemnly, shakes his head and closes his eyes by pressing his lips together. He hears Mrs Jung’s gasp and he knows he won this round. Damn, where is his Oscar for best performance ever?

Mrs Jung agrees a second later and promises to bring Jung junior next session. He also knows she will go Google ‘Do people die of measles’ when she goes back home and make that appointment sooner than later. He shows her outside and runs back to his clinic with a broad smile on his face. Now, he can attempt to finish what he was doing.

He enters his office and brings out the large Snickers he bought for himself. He usually allows himself one sweet treat once a week—he is trying to maintain his health. And every Thursday is his cheat day. He locks his office and kicks off his shoes. Working in a hospital means no time for rest, so he is going to savour this to the fullest.

He puts his feet up on his table and slowly peels the wrapper. He nearly cries when he takes the first bite. As the chocolate melts and he chews the nougat and the salty nuts, he blesses whoever came up with this recipe. Snickers is God’s gift to mankind.

Kim Junmyeon at twenty-eight is the hospital’s youngest paediatrician, but his hard work and his record earned him respect from everyone. He is also terribly good with children (and their mothers). But life is also stressful as a doctor and sometimes Junmyeon wishes he had a life outside the hospital. Some days he doesn’t mind, and some days he minds.

He knew he wanted to be a doctor when he was only ten. So, he worked hard in school, and then in college. He knew without good grades, he cannot even dream of entering a good medical school. He was a topper in school, and he was usually best in college, so no one was surprised when he went on to get hired at Asan Medical Centre. His family was proud, his friends were proud and he was elated. So far, five years later, he is glad he still enjoys working here.

He finishes the candy and tosses the wrapper in the wastepaper basket. He dusts tiny crumbs of candy off his white coat and gets to his feet. He drinks some water and unlocks his door. His round starts soon. He checks his phone, which was charging near the door, and is surprised to see a missed call from an unknown number. Since he keeps his phone on silent when he is on duty, he didn’t hear it ring. He frowns as he calls back. A woman picks it up, “Hello?”

Junmyeon says, “Hello, um, I got a missed call from this number a few minutes ago?”

“Oh! Are you Dr Kim Junmyeon?”

“Yes.”

“Hi, I am Bae Joohyun. I am Ahn Soohyun and Changsun’s lawyer.”

At the mention of the names, Junmyeon starts frowning. Why would his friends’ lawyer call him? He asks, “Okay, um, what do you want?”

The woman sighs. “I am afraid I have some bad news. Dr Kim, your friends are no more, and they had appointed you one of the guardians of their three children. I would like you, if you can, to come down at my office today at eight. I will text you my address.”

Junmyeon clamps a hand over his mouth. Soohyun and Changsun dead…how can that be? They were planning a vacation with their children to celebrate their oldest child’s seventh birthday. How can they just…

He hears Joohyun giving her condolences and asking him to please meet her. He doesn’t hear her goodbye, neither does he realise the call ended; his phone is still raised to his ear and he doesn’t even hear the disconnected tune over the buzz in his head.

No…how is this possible? Changsun and Soohyun cannot be dead. Was this a dream? He wrenches his door open and runs towards the information desk as fast as he can, direly praying that Sooyeon is there. He pants when he finds Jung Sooyeon yawning in front of her computer. Her face lights when she sees her friend, but her smile quickly vanishes when Junmyeon rasps, “Can you check if the death certificates for Ahn Changsun and Ahn Soohyun have been issued or not?”

Sooyeon doesn’t ask, but from the wild look in Junmyeon’s eyes, she can tell it is important. She quietly asks, “Are they from our hospital?”

“No,” Junmyeon shakes his head and swallows.

It takes Sooyeon some time, but after more than five minutes, she looks up and says what Junmyeon didn’t want to hear, “Here, Ahn Soohyun and Ahn Changsun, death on spot from impact from a speeding truck. The certificates were issued last night. Wh—Junmyeon?” Sooyeon jumped up from her seat in alarm when Junmyeon slapped the desk, making her things scatter to the floor. She sees the tears rolling down his face and comprehension dawns on her. She cautiously asks, “Did you know them?”

Sooyeon doesn’t ask anything else as Junmyeon slowly nods his head.

 

Bae Joohyun puts the cover over Ahn Jihyun, the oldest of the Ahn children, and her heart twists at the way the small girl is curled over her siblings, Junhyung and Junseo. The twins are only three, thus, they still do not quite understand their parents are gone. But Jihyun does, and Joohyun knows how sweet and bubbly the girl is. So, to see her like, so dull and quiet, is really breaking Joohyun’s heart.

Joohyun hears voices outside in the corridor to her office. She frowns, wondering who could be still at the office at this hour. She made sure to set the meeting after hours so Wu Yifan could make it without being hounded by the media. She steps outside her office and follows the voices, which were increasing in volume and intensity, to the reception, where two men are shouting at each other. To her surprise, she realises one of them men is Wu Yifan, who is shouting at the shorter man.

“You? You are a guardian?” Yifan shouts, his thick brows furrowed.

“Seems sensible that’d they appoint me as well, since you are so idiotic!” the shorter shouts back. Joohyun realises that he is Junmyeon. His photo in the file did him no justice.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you are talking to?”

“Someone who lacks a few grey cells here and there?”

“Fuck off Junmyeon!”

“Who the fuck are you telling to fuck off you fucker?”

Joohyun is certainly thankful the children are deeply asleep. She clears her throat loudly, and it stops the men. They look at her with angry glares. She smiles tightly, “I am Bae Joohyun.”

Yifan stomps up to her, and honestly it is a bit scary, but Joohyun holds her position. Yifan glares at her, “Why is he here?”

Joohyun glances at Junmyeon and says, “He is a guardian, and so are you. So, it is only fair I call him here.”

Junmyeon walks up to her and knits his brows. “But, you don’t understand, I cannot deal with this man!”

Yifan is about to say something when Joohyun raises her hand and dons her most professional face. “Sorry, but the clauses in the agreement explicitly say you both were appointed as guardians _together_.”

Yifan sighs and rubs his face. He proceeds to glare at Junmyeon and says in a chipped voice, “Fine, but I am not doing this without my lawyer.”

Joohyun crosses her hands and presses her lips. She saw this coming. “Fine, Mr Wu.” She looks at Junmyeon pointedly, “You can bring your lawyer as well.”

Junmyeon nods his head. He drags his teeth over his lower lip and softens his gaze. He asks, “Can I see the kids?”

Joohyun reels in her surprise. She honestly thought they had forgotten about the children, and when she looks at Yifan, she sees the same sheepish longing. She curtly nods her head and gestures at them to follow her. The men quietly follow her.

When they enter her office, both Junmyeon and Yifan feel their heart clenching at the sight of Soohyun and Changsun’s precious little children huddled on the sofa in Joohyun’s office. Junmyeon steps in and carefully pats Junseo’s head.

Yifan’s stomach drops to his knees as he takes in the sight of Jihyun and the twins sleeping on the sofa. He briskly tells Joohyun, “I will be back tomorrow.” He throws one last doleful look at the children and marches out of the office. Joohyun doesn’t miss the look.

Junmyeon tries to not break down in tears as he straightens up. He smiles at Joohyun and says, “Would you text me the time tomorrow?” As soon as Joohyun affirms with a brisk nod, Junmyeon walks out of the office, his shoulder hunched.

Joohyun plops down on the sofa and runs her finger through Jihyun’s hair. The girls opens one eye and asks, “Did the uncles come?”

“They did,” Joohyun says.

“Where are they?”

“They left. They thought you were too tired, so they left without disturbing you. They will be back tomorrow,” Joohyun reassures, the white lie never hesitating to slip from her lips.

Jihyun seems convinced as she falls back asleep. Joohyun decides to finish some of her paperwork and drive them to her home. She decides to keep the children with her till Wu Yifan and Kim Junmyeon can sort their issue out, whatever it is. The children need them to make up their minds, and soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Junmyeon comes home fuming; nearly breaking the door as he shuts it behind him. If he disturbed his neighbour with all the noise, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t even care about turning on the lights as he sits down on the sofa and picks up a cushion. Then he presses it to his face and screams, his voice muffled as he lets out a long, frustrated scream.

Wu. Fucking. Yifan. What were Changsun and Soohyun thinking? Don’t they know that he couldn’t even share oxygen with the man in the same room? Call him immature, call him juvenile, but he had sworn to hate Yifan since he was fifteen and he cannot stop doing that. Wu Yifan is everything he hates in a person.

Arrogant, cocky, overconfident, idiotic and tall. Not in that order, but whatever; the moral of this story is that he hates, _hates_ , absolutely loathes Yifan, and he cannot imagine spending more than five minutes with him. Even spending five minutes with him feel like a chore.

He falls back on the back and looks up at the dark ceiling. He frowns as he realises that he will never see his best friends again…and realises that in this, Yifan is the only one with him.

That though does not make him happy.

While a few hours ago, Minseok doesn’t ask when Yifan storms out of the lawyer’s office and gets inside the car. The knitted brows and pressed lips tell Minseok more than words could ever say. He starts the engine of Yifan’s Aston Martin, and reminds Yifan to wear his seatbelt before driving out of the parking lot.

He gives Yifan ten minutes to fume, and as anticipated, Yifan cries, “Fucking hell!” and punches the dashboard.

Minseok did see Kim Junmyeon marching out of the office, and he is aware of the history between Yifan and Junmyeon. Thus, he just pats Yifan’s knee and remains silent. Yifan keeps cursing.

He didn’t even have time to mourn for his friends before this responsibility was shoved on to him. He isn’t shirking from it, that’s not the problem. The problem is Mr Prim-and-perfect-I-can-do-no-wrong Kim Junmyeon. He hates how, in this mess and death and grief, he is stuck with Junmyeon.

If only pushing annoying people off a cliff wasn’t illegal.

 

Next day, Joohyun is surprised to find messages from both Yifan and Junmyeon stating that they were going to meet her with their representatives at three today. She quickly dresses the children up, and while braiding Jihyun’s hair, the girl asks, “Will the uncles meet me today?”

Joohyun replies, “They will.”

“I like really like them,” Jihyun smiles slightly. “Junmyeon uncle always buys my favourite candy, and Yifan uncle gives me the best birthday gifts. Though they don’t like each other very much I think…” Jihyun pouts.

Joohyun puts an elastic band as she finishes the braid and asks, “Why do they don’t like each other Jihyun?”

“Mama and papa said they haven’t liked each other since they were in school!”

Joohyun raises her eyebrows. So, their animosity began in school? Aren’t they both close to their thirties? Which mature adult holds on to grudges that long? She mentally palms her face as she thinks it will be quite a battle in dealing with those two. She desperately hopes their lawyers are smarter people.

By ten she has reached her office. Thankfully, her workplace has a day-care area, where she entrusts the care of the children to her friend, Seungwan. She gets into her work, dealing with other clients and when lunch time arrives, she takes the children out to this nice café nearby. To her dismay, Jihyun eats very little, though the twins make a right mess as they eat their desserts. Joohyun grins at their glee and cleans their faces. When they get back at work, Joohyun asks Jihyun, “Are you okay? Do you feel sick? You didn’t eat much today.”

Jihyun shakes her head and stares at her shoes. “I wasn’t hungry.”

“You didn’t even eat anything besides two pieces of apple for breakfast today.”

Jihyun says nothing as she walks towards her brothers who are playing with Seungwan. Joohyun beckons her friend over, who has a tough time getting the twins off her. With a promise to return soon, Seungwan walks up to Joohyun, and says, “Yeah?”

Joohyun passes a brown paper bag she had stashed in her purse to Seungwan. “There is an apple in here. Please try to feed this to Jihyun, she isn’t eating much nowadays.”

Seungwan nods. “She lost her appetite…grief does that to you.”

Joohyun shakes her head, her lips pressed together. “She is only six.”

“Sadness doesn’t care how old you are unni.”

Joohyun sighs. She reminds Seungwan again to feed Jihyun and heads back to her office. She finishes some more paperwork, when her secretary knocks on her door to tell her both Junmyeon and Yifan are here. She looks at the time and is amazed by how punctual they both are. Well, they got one positive point then.

She walks out of the office to receive them, not forgetting to grab the necessary documents. She recognises the lawyer Junmyeon brought with him, Kim Himchan. She greets him, and Junmyeon looks on a bit confused. Himchan says, “We know each other.”

Yifan introduces his lawyer, a Lee Seunghyun. Joohyun shakes hands with him, and without much preamble, she says, “I have a conference room booked, please follow me.”

The four men follow her down the corridor and into a large, empty room. They all take their seats and Joohyun places down the copies of the guardianship agreement in front of the lawyers. Himchan gets his glasses out and both lawyers start reading them, while Yifan and Junmyeon seem to have a silent stare off. Joohyun raises an eyebrow at that.

After a silence of several minutes, punctuated by the rustling of pages and a few coughs, Seunghyun looks up at Joohyun and says, “I have a question.”

Joohyun nods, “Go ahead.”

“Why was this agreement made?”

Himchan nods and clasps his hands on the table. “I was wondering the same thing. My client and Mr Wu here aren’t blood relatives.”

Junmyeon scoffs. “Changsun is an orphan.”

Yifan adds, “Soohyun doesn’t have a very nice family.”

“And they both married young without her family’s consent.”

“Also, Soohyun dropped out of college when she got pregnant with Jihyun.” Junmyeon and Yifan share a quick glance, each probably thinking back to the day their friends called them over at their tiny flat and with shaky voices let them know about the latest development. Junmyeon had shrieked and Yifan had palmed his face because he couldn’t believe the situation. Then, the two of them got into another argument about something no one remembers (they remember being thrown out of their friend’s house by Soohyun though).

Joohyun knits her brows and nods her head. “Since they had no one they could rely on, they chose to make their best friends the guardians.”

Yifan groans, “What I don’t get is why they had to choose him!” He jabs a finger at Junmyeon’s direction.

Junmyeon sits up straight and glares. “Because you are an arrogant playboy who has no regards for anyone?”

A retort is on the tip of Yifan’s tongue when Joohyun slaps the table’s surface. The men look at her in surprise as she almost shouts, “Whatever problems you seem to have isn’t more important than the fact that three children are orphaned and you two can’t get over your juvenile grudges to respect the fact! I do not understand why my clients did what they did but I hope they didn’t!”

Junmyeon and Yifan are stunned into silence. Himchan clears his throat and says, “Is there a way we could fix this issue?”

Seunghyun taps the papers in front of him and says, “Why don’t you two go out for a bit? We need to discuss some things.” He locks his gaze with Joohyun and the latter understands that the man realises the futility of discussion if Junmyeon and Yifan stay in the room.

Junmyeon agrees and is out of his seat, finding it unbearable to stay in the same room as Yifan. He asks Joohyun, “Um, are the kids with you?”

Joohyun nods. “Go down to the ground floor, there’s a day-care centre there. my friend is taking care of them.”

Yifan gets to his feet as well and frowns, “I am coming with you.”

Junmyeon bites his lips, Joohyun’s earlier words ringing loud in his ear. He chances a glance at her, and her scowl kind of intimidates him. He tightly nods his head and marches out of the office, Yifan close at his heels.

As the door shut behind them, Joohyun takes a seat and rubs her temples. Himchan pats her back and smiles, “The clause is pretty solid, there isn’t any way out of it.”

Seunghyun nods, but then he reads something that surprises him. He shouts, “Hold up, this clause, where it says that they will have to adhere to the partake combined guardianship, is it without reproach? Like you are authorised to change things and they are still minors, and you are temporarily taking care of them.”

Joohyun perks up, “What do you mean?”

Himchan finds the part Seunghyun is reading from. He says, “Guardianship duties are mostly changeable, right? What if we amend this clause?”

Joohyun reads the sentence Himchan is pointing at. An idea formulates in her brain as she remembers a crucial clause. She slowly says, “We can change a few things…”

 

Junmyeon hates how short he is, hates how Yifan is winning the race of who-gets-to-the-elevator-first. Damn Wu Yifan and his supernaturally long legs! But he won’t be crushed like this, so he hurries up and runs, yes _runs_ , towards the lift. He turns around and flashes a triumphant grin, and Yifan scowls. Wu Yifan is one sore loser and Junmyeon is very much aware of it.

Back in high school, Junmyeon remembers their home team winning in basketball, but Yifan couldn’t score a single shot that night. He remembers the anger and pain—that he may secretly have been enjoying—on Yifan’s face when no one came to congratulate the _star_. So, the ever-familiar dark scowl is nothing new, and Junmyeon can feel his ego inflating as the lift doors closed.

But Yifan gets to the lift buttons first, and Junmyeon keeps his face passive as he drops his hand. Fine, Big Unfriendly Giant can have this round. The journey to the ground floor is fraught with awkwardness and tension. Yifan takes one corner of the lift while Junmyeon takes the other, both trying to look everywhere but at each other, hence one of them opens their mouth and all hell breaks loose. Junmyeon prays for other people to enter, and the lift stops at the third floor, and a crowd enters. Okay, Junmyeon asked for a couple, not half of a village.

Yifan groans when a short woman in fake tortoiseshell glasses jabs her high heel into his soft camel skin moccasins. When the woman cranes her neck to look at him, Yifan is the one who feels apologetic at the glare as if she is scolding _him_ for not giving her space to stand; so, he moves to the side, giving her all the space. As he moves, he realises he is now standing very close to Junmyeon, who realises it as well, and just narrows his eyes and says nothing. Yifan doesn’t even try and focuses his attention on this woman’s lurid green scarf printed with acid pink flamingos. He is almost hypnotised by the neon extravaganza because _why would anyone pay to wear this_ , when the doors open at the ground floor. The people pour out of the lift, and the two of them follow.

Yifan and Junmyeon do not know where the day-care centre is, but since they are both men and we all know how men hate asking for directions, they surreptitiously try to look for any indication, any key that points to their destination. Suddenly, a woman squeals, “Oh my!” and points at Yifan. She comes closer to them and her eyes are round when she asks, “Excuse me, but are you _the_ Wu Yifan?”

Yifan flashes his why-yes-I-am smile (Junmyeon rolls his eyes), “Yeah.”

“Oh, I am such a huge fan!” the woman covers her mouth. Junmyeon looks over at her, and something about her outfit makes him alert. She had the company’s id card around her, but she was dressed too informally to be a lawyer or any sort of legal staff. Then his eyes land on an orange stain on her white sneakers and he is certain now.

Yifan grins and he is about to run his hand through his hair because he knows it makes his fans swoon. But Junmyeon had to rain on his parade as he pushes Yifan side, like literally physically shoves the taller out of his way—and Yifan wonders when did he get so strong—and asks, “Excuse me? Do you by any chance work at the day-care centre?”

The woman’s eyes widen as she regards him and slowly nods her head. Her eyes flicker to Yifan again, who is shooting daggers at the back of Junmyeon’s head. It is now Junmyeon’s turn to flash his most pleasing smile. “Hi, we are actually looking for the day-care centre.”

The woman glances between Junmyeon and Yifan, probably trying to understand why two handsome men—one of them being a very famous actor—are looking for the day-care centre. She nods, “Um, you can follow me. I am Seungwan by the way.”

“I am Dr Kim Junmyeon and, well, you know who this i—that is.” He shrugs and smiles. Yifan is still mentally stabbing him.

Seungwan giggles and starts walking. The two men follow her quietly, no racing this time though. They are walking down a long corridor filled with natural light coming from the strategically placed windows and soon they take a left. The loud, raucous noise of a dozen or so voices surprises them both, but they are at the centre, which is half inside and half outside. The children inside are all spread over playing and running around behind the glass doors.

Seungwan pushes the doors and two very loud voices scream, “Moonmoon and Fanfan!” And soon two tiny bodies barrel into Junmyeon and Yifan. Yifan crouches in front of Junseo while Junmyeon picks Junhyung up. They are fraternal twins, so it was never hard to differentiate them. The two little boys are talking fast and loud, and trying very hard to divide their attention between their two most favourite uncles.

“And then you know what happened?” Junseo tugs at Junmyeon’s trousers. “Junhyung tried to eat it!”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen in horror. He cups Junhyung’s face and asks, “You did not eat the play-do for real did you?”

Junhyung laughs. “No uncle Moonmoon I didn’t!”

Yifan ruffle Junhyung’s hair and laughs. “Because Junnie is smart, isn’t he?”

Junseo pouts and pokes Yifan’s denim-clad leg. “I am smart too.”

Junmyeon lets Junhyung down on the floor and pinches Junseo’s puffed cheeks. “Of course, you are! Where is your sister?”

“Um,” Seungwan makes her presence felt. The men had all but forgotten about her as she silently observed them. Who could have guessed Wu Yifan and this handsome doctor knew these kids? “If you are looking for Jihyun, she is outside on the playground.”

“Is she okay?” Yifan asks.

Seungwan nods her head, a sad smile on her face as she replies, “I have been trying to get her to eat. Joohyun told me about her, uh, parents.”

Junmyeon licks his lips as his heart aches. He closes his eyes and opens them again. “Can we try?”

It takes Seungwan a moment to understand what Junmyeon is trying to say, but when she does, she quickly grabs the apple and a small knife. She thrusts them into his hands and says, “Last time I checked, she was on the swing set.” Seungwan distracts the twins as Yifan and Junmyeon weave their way through Lego bricks and crayons to the playground.

Jihyun is not on the swings, but instead sitting cross-legged on the grass, plucking the cropped grass from the ground. Junmyeon pushes the apple and knife at Yifan and says with a clipped voice, “She likes the fancy way you cut apples.”

Yifan frowns but takes the items anyway. Junmyeon softly calls, “Jihyun?”

The girl looks up and her sad eyes break their hearts, but her bright smile as she recognises them breaks their heart some more. Junmyeon sits opposite her while Yifan sits beside her. Junmyeon mocks anger as he says, “So, I heard you haven’t been eating. Uncle Fanfan is very mad too.” Yifan closes his eyes and nods in all seriousness as Jihyun whips her head to look at him.

Yifan says as he starts peeling the apple, from the top, spiralling down to the bottom, the blade cutting through the fruit smoothly, in one go almost, “I will be madder if you don’t eat.” Jihyun is impressed at Yifan’s apple-cutting skills for some reason and she smiles a little as Yifan hands her a small piece. Junmyeon pats her knee, “Come on.”

Jihyun puts the piece in her mouth and slowly chews. She wipes her mouth and accepts another piece, bigger this time, and says, “Aunty Joohyun said we are supposed to live with you now?”

Junmyeon smiles while Yifan nods. Their eyes meet over Jihyun’s head. Before any of the adults can say anything, the twins run over to them. Jihyun calls her brothers over and breaks one big piece of apple and gives it to her brothers, who happily chomp down on it. Jihyun smiles, “Uncles are here to take us with them!”

Junmyeon and Yifan lock their gazes again and when Junseo says, “Yes! We rather live with you guys than anyone else!”

And when Junhyung says, “Uncles are the best”, both Junmyeon and Yifan take a deep breath as they both come to an obvious conclusion.

They have to sacrifice their egos and selfish reasons for the sake of three innocent children who need them.

 

The journey back to the fifth floor after an hour is silent, but when they are on the third floor, Junmyeon clears his throat, “I can promise to cooperate if you promise to do the same.”

Yifan remains silent for a while. The fourth floor passes and when the doors are about to open, he sighs and says, “I promise.”

“Me too, then.”

The doors open and they share a glance again. Yifan marches out first, but stops and looks over his shoulder, “Come on.” Junmyeon hurries out of the lift, and they are no longer trying to outdo each other as they walk at the same unhurried pace.

When they enter the conference room, Joohyun doesn’t wait before she launches straight into the issue, “Okay, so here’s what we have agreed to amend. Instead of being their guardians till they attain adulthood, you are to be their guardians, together, for a year. If, after the year ends, everything is satisfactory, we will judge who to pass the guardianship to.”

Junmyeon frowns as he takes his seat, “What do you mean?”

Himchan explains. “It means, you two have to cooperate for a year. After the year ends, either you or Yifan will be granted sole guardianship of the children.”

Yifan dissents, “Why not now?”

Seunghyun shakes his head. “Joohyun-sshi has temporary custody rights over the children as of now and she can relinquish only if you two take your roles up now. If one of you disagrees, Joohyun will have to move to court and assert her right to sole guardianship, and oh, she can sue you if you don’t. Also, if you try to get sole guardianship now, that would be a long custody battle.”

Yifan and Junmyeon quickly look at each other. They both love the children dearly, there is no question about that. And they had promised each other, haven’t they? So, they both say at the same time, “We agree.”

The three lawyers share amused glances amongst themselves. Joohyun grabs the already-prepared documents (Himchan and Seunghyun, with an assistant’s help, had written the new addition and got it printed within an hour as Joohyun took a small tea break) and hands them pens. They sign the papers and then Joohyun brings out another form. The form is three pages long and she says, “Okay, now I need you two to fill this form. This will go to the social services.”

Junmyeon frowns when both of them are handed one form, so he asks, “Uh, why only one form?”

Joohyun raises her eyebrows, “What do you mean? You are both guardians.” She leans over the table and points at the first three lines of the form. “Don’t you see? It says guardian one and guardian two, and then the address—”

“Yes,” Junmyeon grits his teeth. “There is space for only one address.”

Himchan says, dreading the aftermath of what he is going to say next, “Well, the kids cannot live at two addresses.”

Yifan inhales sharply as he starts to get the context. “You mean, we have to live together?”

Joohyun says, “Well, obviously. The court will never allow you two to shuffle the kids around like that.”

Yifan groans and grabs the pen before Junmyeon can get to it. When Junmyeon makes a noise of protest, Yifan says, “Cut it Kim, my house is bigger and better and your apartment only has two rooms.”

Junmyeon closes his mouth. Okay, Yifan has a point, but it still feels humiliating. Junmyeon makes enough money, thank you very much, it’s just he never saw the need to buy a bigger place, unlike Mr Actor here who obviously needs to rub his wealth into everyone’s (read: Kim Junmyeon) face. Junmyeon just crosses his arms and Seunghyun swears he saw the anger pouring out of him in waves.

After Yifan writes the address, Junmyeon takes the pen and with Joohyun’s help, they fill out the rest of the form. Joohyun, Himchan and Seunghyun leave the room, wanting to get duplicates of everything, and Junmyeon turns around to glare at Yifan. The taller just smirks, “Well, well. I remember someone saying they would never set foot in my “obnoxious excuse of a house” ever.”

“It is obnoxious,” Junmyeon is seething.

Yifan’s voice is hard as he reminds Junmyeon, “Do I need to repeat what you said in the lift?”

Junmyeon bites down on his lower lip and closes his eyes, praying to all the powers that be. He opens his eyes and releases his lip. He gnashes his teeth, “Fine. Expect me tomorrow then.”

“Whatever,” Yifan shrugs and looks away.

 _You are doing this for the kids, you are doing this for the kids,_ Junmyeon chants to himself. This is the last thing he wanted, but for the kids, he is ready to do this.

He is, he really is. Just managing his inner-Yifan-induced-serial-killer-urges will get more problematic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the long wait but i am finally done with the my fic fest entry so expect weekly (maybe?) updates for this fic! Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Joohyun plans to bring the kids over the next day as well. After settling them, she mentioned arranging the funeral, which made both Yifan and Junmyeon upset for the rest of the day. Junmyeon couldn’t concentrate at work and Yifan didn’t even attend the show he was invited to. Instead, the actor spent the day with Minseok making his house presentable, and less bachelor-den; while Junmyeon took an early leave from work and started packing his bags (he packs nearly half of his bookshelf in a duffel bag).

By nine, an hour before the kids are to arrive, Junmyeon takes a deep breath, collects himself and marches up the gravel pathway. Honestly, Yifan’s house _is_ obnoxious.  Vogue Korea called it an Art Deco masterpiece, but Junmyeon wonders if the writer was blind—blind in love with Wu Yifan that is. Or maybe Art Deco isn’t his style. It has three storeys, with a terrace and everything. The front of the house has huge windows and the front door is huge too, with a portico and all. The house has both a front-yard and a backyard. There are potted plants decorating the front and the peach and fuchsia flora against the white backdrop doesn’t look that awful, Junmyeon grudgingly admits. Through the windows on the ground floor, he can see inside and it looks like a living room of sorts. He takes another deep breath and rings the doorbell. _Here we go._

The door is opened by a tall, young woman, maybe around his age, with loose copper hair. She is simply dressed in a white t-shirt and ripped jeans. Her smile is bright when she says, “Dr Kim Junmyeon?”

Well, his two trolley bags and duffel gives him away, Junmyeon smiles and nods. The woman extends her hand, “I am Seohyun, Yifan’s former makeup artist. Come in!” She moves to the side and grabs one of the bags, despite Junmyeon protesting. She keeps talking as she drags the bag inside, and Junmyeon tries to not gawk at the interiors. Seohyun says, “He called me to help him set the house up. I have been in his entourage for years, and I drop by occasionally to check on him. Oh! Maybe this is irrelevant, but I am also dating his manager.” She giggles and Junmyeon cannot help but think she is really very cute.

He goes back to ogle at the interior again. The marble on the floor is all black and white, spreading from a sunburst design and extending down the foyer. There are a few art pieces on his right and a staircase on his left. Behind the staircase, he spots a kitchen and the man of the house, drinking something from a cup. Their eyes meet and Yifan scowls, and Junmyeon mirrors his expression as well. Also, he feels annoyed at how effortlessly put together Yifan looks in his blue button-down and black skinny jeans, while he skipped showering and is wearing his most faded out t-shirt.

Seohyun moves her head between Junmyeon and Yifan, wondering why they are scowling at each other. She was under the impression they were good friends. She is about to ask if everything’s okay when Minseok rushes out of the kitchen, all gummy smile and bows at Junmyeon. “Welcome Dr Kim! I am Kim Minseok, Yifan’s manager. Here, let me show you to your room! Taecyeon? Can you help?”

A tall, but a heavily muscled man exits from the room on Junmyeon’s left. He is dressed in a suit and Junmyeon knows instantly that he is a bodyguard. His face is covered by dark glasses, but Junmyeon’s eyebrows rise anyway, because _wow this man is hot_. Maybe staying here won’t be that bad…

Taecyeon briskly picks both of Junmyeon’s bags like they weigh nothing and trudges up the stairs. Minseok lightly taps on his elbow and beckons to follow him up the stairs as well. Mentally, Junmyeon is drooling at Taecyeon’s broad shoulders.

He gets a south-facing room on the first floor. It is all ecru and brown, with the most striking furniture being a bureau with red velvet inlays. It is tasteful, and Junmyeon compliments whoever Yifan paid to decorate his house. Taecyeon places his bags and bows, which Junmyeon returns with a cheerful, “Thank you.”

Minseok smiles as Junmyeon puts down his duffel bag on the stool by the foot of the bed. He says, “Did you have breakfast? We were about to start.”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “I had my breakfast.”

“Oh, join us anyway. A cup of coffee? I make great coffee!”

Junmyeon chuckles and can’t bring himself to say no at the beautiful crooked smile. He nods and follows Minseok back to the kitchen. As soon as he enters, he finds Yifan glaring down at him with his arms crossed. Minseok starts making a cup of coffee for Junmyeon, casually chatting with him, which could have been the reason for Yifan’s mood. Junmyeon ignores him and glances around the well-lighted kitchen-cum-dining space. The floor here is marble as well, with horizontal obsidian marble inlaid on the white under the dining table. There is a mosaic of a woman’s eyes on the wall near the table and an interesting lighting fixture over the marble counter. All in all, it is a nice room.

Minseok hands him a cup and gosh it does smell heavenly. He takes a tentative sip and gives a pleased thumb up. Seohyun chuckles and threads her fingers through Minseok’s, who starts blushing. Yifan scoffs at them, forgetting for a second that his enemy is standing under his roof. Suddenly, Yifan’s phone rings and he frowns when he sees Joohyun’s name. He picks it up and says, with a little apprehension, “Hello?”

“Good morning Mr Wu, is Dr Kim with you?” Joohyun asks.

“Yes.”

“Put me on speaker please.” Yifan does as he is told. She continues, “Hello Dr Kim. I will be heading over in an hour or so, I might be late since I have some important work. And I forgot to mention, I do not have all of their things with me. You may need to go collect the rest of their things from their home. I could have gone myself but I had to head to a hearing suddenly…”

Junmyeon swallows. “Sure,” he locks his gaze with Yifan, “We can go.”

“Thank you, Dr Kim, I will see you in an hour or two.” She disconnects and silence descends in the kitchen.

Minseok clears his throat. “I can drive you guys. Do we need Taecyeon?”

Yifan shakes his head as he runs his fingers through his hair. “I can drive. You stay here.” Minseok throws the big bunch of keys towards Yifan, who catches it with such ease that Junmyeon is reminded of his P.E. days in high school when Yifan would win every athletic thing ever and while he never grew beyond five feet eight inches. Yifan jerks his head, “Come on.”

Yifan stalks out of the kitchen with Junmyeon scurrying after him. They walk out of a door into the backyard, which is edged with poplar trees. They make a right and Yifan opens the garage door with a remote. The garage door opens and Junmyeon thought Yifan would have a dozen cars at least, but there is only one silver Aston Martin, a black van with tinted windows and a Ducati. Junmyeon watches Yifan head towards the Martin, but Junmyeon halts him, “We can take the van, what if we need the space?”

Junmyeon expects to be told off, but to his surprise, Yifan doesn’t. He nods his head, and goes over to the van. Junmyeon waits for Yifan to unlock the doors and he has to climb up the seats while Yifan smoothly sits down. Yifan smirks at that, and Junmyeon flushes as he straps the seatbelt and refuses to make eye contact with the former. Thankfully, Yifan doesn’t poke at his self-esteem and starts the car.

The journey is silent, except for one phone call that Junmyeon received from his supervisor at the hospital. When the call ended, Yifan smirks, “Didn’t take you to be a Weeknd fan?”

“I happen to like his songs very much,” Junmyeon says, arms crossed over his chest, slightly peeved at Yifan.

“That’s one of his older songs, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, _Rolling Stone_ is old, I think it’s from his earlier albums…” Junmyeon stops, and Yifan holds his breath.

Then they both realise that they just had a very normal conversation where none was trying to slander the other. For once, Yifan and Junmyeon didn’t behave like a random reunion of the Montagues and the Capulets in close quarters. Yifan doesn’t say anything else and Junmyeon looks out of the window with furrowed brows and with such intense concentration, as if he is looking at the streets of Seoul for the first time.

The rest of the journey is blessedly silent. They reach the Ahn residence and as Junmyeon unbuckles his seatbelt, his heart becomes heavy. Beside him, even Yifan seems slow as he gets down from the car. Suddenly, Junmyeon remembers something, “Hey, do you have the keys?”

Yifan shakes his head. “Nope, but Joohyun texted me where it is.”

“Okay.”

They walk up the small path, dotted by bright pink flowers that Soohyun lovingly planted last autumn. Junmyeon feels his throat choking up; he swallows the knot down and focuses on Yifan’s back as he unlocks the door after retrieving the key from under the doormat. The silence is eerie, and Junmyeon half expects Changsun to come laughing to the entrance, and he almost hears Soohyun warning them to behave, to not behave like kindergartener kids or she won’t hesitate to kick them both out. They both pause at the entrance, their eyes roving over the framed pictures at the foyer of the Ahn family.

Yifan pulls down a picture from the wall, and swallows. “We can take this picture, right? They may like it.”

Junmyeon goes and pulls down two more. “One for each of them.” Yifan nods.

As instructed by Joohyun, they find the suitcases in the storage room on the ground floor. They head upstairs to the kids’ rooms. Jihyun had her own room, while the twins shared one. Yifan jerks his head, “I take Jihyun’s, you take Junseo and Junhyung’s?”

Junmyeon nods and walks into the twins’ rooms. He cracks a smile when he sees the mess inside; it’s like a little tornado swept in. There are colouring books and crayons strewn all over the floor and on both bunk beds. He chuckles and starts packing things—clothes, toys and all their stationery. He is at the last level of their shared closet when a paper falls from the folds of a sweater. He picks it up, and gasps. It is a picture, either drawn by Junseo or Junhyung, and it looks like a happy anniversary card for their parents. Changsun and Soohyun eloped in June, a month from now. Four stick figures with joined hands are grinning, and there is a smiling sun and blue waves behind them. There is also an abundance of glitter and the words ‘Happy Annivrsary’ written over the figures’ heads.

Junmyeon clutches the card and sits down on the floor as his tears flow. He hasn’t cried; he didn’t allow himself to cry for the last two days. But now, as he realised that he will never be babysitting the kids as their parents spend their anniversary together, he breaks. He will never visit this house again on weekends to talk to Soohyun, complain about his lack of a love life. He will never come here again to discuss new books with Changsun anymore. He will never be coming here with gifts on the kids’ birthdays.

Yifan walks out of Jihyun’s room, with two bags packed and ready to go. He hears sobs from the twins’ room, so he carefully peeps in and finds Junmyeon crying on the floor. He gulps; he can fathom why Junmyeon is crying. He had done the same thing last night as he brought out his yearbook from the depths of his storage. The image of him and Changsun’s sweaty faces after an intense basketball match found him shedding silent tears for a long time. He puts the bags down outside the room and steps in. Junmyeon hears him and raises his head, and Yifan realises he has never seen the other cry. His dark eyes are glassy and his nose is red. His cheeks are flushed a blotchy red and he looks like a little kid himself, and Yifan finds himself feeling sorry.

Junmyeon notices Yifan and quickly wipes his tears away. He clutches the drawing in his hand and says, his voice choked with sadness, “Do you remember the day they eloped?”

Yifan chuckles as he sits down on the lower bunk bed. He reads the handmade card over Junmyeons head and says, “I will never forget the day.”

Junmyeon grins. “We had to stop Soohyun’s grandmother from going to the police.”

“She thought Changsun had kidnapped her granddaughter,” Yifan laughs as he remembers the historic day. Changsun left a message for his friends, and Soohyun said nothing to her grandmother as she stepped out of her house two days after her eighteenth birthday. “They were eighteen and so stupid.”

“And gosh how much I wanted to punch them both when they returned after three days with a marriage certificate and matching rings!”

Yifan laughs along. At eighteen, Yifan was heading on the road to fame, Junmyeon had passed the national medical entrances and their best friends got married. It was one chaotic year. He raises his head and he finds Junmyeon looking at him. They share a small smile. Junmyeon gets to his feet and grabs the two bags he had packed. He folds the card and slips in into his pocket. “Let’s go.”

Yifan hums and gets up as well. They don’t exchange anymore words as they leave the house. However, Junmyeon speaks once they are inside the car, “We should pay Soohyun’s grandmother a visit.”

“We can go tomorrow with the kids?” Yifan suggests.

And then for the first time in his life, Junmyeon agrees to Yifan’s suggestion and the latter thinks that is indeed true—that tragedy changes people and can bring them together like nothing else.

 

Junmyeon, Minseok, Seohyun and Yifan are almost done setting up Jihyun’s room an hour later when Joohyun arrives with the children. Yifan and Junmyeon hurry down to greet them, and Joohyun is all smiles as she introduces a woman. “This is Park Bom, the social service worker on your case. She wanted to talk to you two. I will settle the kids.”

“Sure, go ahead, their rooms are upstairs,” Yifan smiles. He gestures to his right, “Please follow us.”

Junmyeon nods and Bom smiles as she follows them inside. Joohyun returns to her car to get the children. The social service worker seems harmless enough, yet Junmyeon feels cold sweat break out on his nape. They enter the living room, which is done up all in black and white. The walls are black and the bigger sofa is of black suede as well. The carpet is beige and there is a cozy granite fireplace. What attracts Junmyeon’s attention is the tall ebony bookcase stuffed with books. He frowns, did he ever see Wu Yifan reading in high school?

Like the whole house, this room too is decorated with art and two minimalistic piece hang on both sides of the fireplace. Bom smiles and sits down on one of the beige chairs while Yifan and Junmyeon both take the black sofa. Neither Yifan or Junmyeon feel very relaxed as Bom opens her bag and brings out some papers. She puts her glasses on and starts speaking, “We did background checks on you, and so far, you are both clean. Taxes are proper and no criminal records. Now, I understand both of you are working professionals?”

Junmyeon nods. “I work at Asan. I do both clinic hours and emergency rounds.”

Bom smiles at Yifan, “And you are a busy actor.” Yifan smiles, but refrains from putting his ‘actor’ smile on. “So, the children will be mostly left unsupervised for long hours. Have you thought about that?”

“Yes,” Junmyeon says before Yifan can say anything, and the latter tries to keep his face impassive. “My friend, who’s a nurse, has a friend who can help us with the kids. Her name is Lee Soonkyu, I can provide you with contacts, if you want.”

Bom says, “That’d be lovely.”

Junmyeon is writing down a number on a pad he finds under the coffee table when Yifan leans close to him and his voice is dangerously low and sinister as he whispers, “You and me, we need to talk.”

The voice sends shivers down Junmyeon’s spine, but he keeps his voice tight and low as he says, “Later, I will explain later.”

“You better Kim.”

Yifan and Junmyeon put on smiles again as Bom takes the paper Junmyeon passes. Junmyeon adds, “Soonkyu is a former nurse.”

Bom smiles, tight-lipped, “Oh I see.” Junmyeon just nervously grins, while Yifan beside him mutters something under his breath.

Ms Park asks them some more questions, mostly about the Ahns and their kids. Bom Park informs them that she will be visiting them every now and then, just to check up on the kids and evaluate Junmyeon and Yifan as guardians.

Yifan and Junmyeon walk her to the door, where Joohyun is already waiting. She smiles, “Your manager helped me settle them in their rooms. Take care of them, okay? I will be visiting as well!” She says her goodbyes and offers Bom a lift, who agrees. When the women are walking down the gravel, Yifan shuts the door and rounds on Junmyeon with one thick eyebrow raised in a question. Junmyeon sighs and rolls his eyes, and crosses his arms. Yifan mimics him and keeps glaring down at him. Junmyeon waits for him to say something, but after a few seconds of getting glared down pisses him off, so he says, “Loo—”

Yifan hisses, “What part of doing this together you didn’t get?”

Junmyeon frowns and tries to look as tall as he can (he hates their height difference). “I was going to, but Bom arrived before I could.”

“Oh really? What about discussing about hiring Soonkun then?”

“Soonkyu, and I know her, okay? I trust her.”

Yifan uncrosses his arms and throws his hands up in exasperation. “Well I don’t know her, do I?”

Junmyeon drags his teeth over his lips, counts backwards to five in his head and says, “She is coming tonight, after six. You will get to know her soon.”

Yifan fumes, his nostrils flaring. He is annoyed how Junmyeon didn’t even talk to him about this. Aren’t they in this together? He turns around and stomps up the stairs. Junmyeon sighs again and follows him, minus the stomping. They hear the twins’ rambunctious laughter and they smile. The second floor has four rooms, and Jihyun has taken one room and the twins the another. The idea that they can live separately hasn’t occurred to them yet. Junmyeon takes another room, and he isn’t too sure if Yifan lives in the other room (the doors to that room are locked from the outside).

Since they moved in so soon, the rooms aren’t child-friendly yet. They enter the twins room, which is a lot alike Junmyeon’s room. The twins are jumping on the bed as Minseok laughs at their antics. Jihyun sits at the foot of her bed and talks to Seohyun. When they see Yifan and Junmyeon enter, the twins barrel down their bed and jump at them. Junseo pouts up at Junmyeon, “Moonmoon, where is our bed?”

Jihyun quickly walks up to them and says, “They cannot sleep without their bunk beds.”

“Oh!” Yifan says as he kneels in front of Junseo. “We will get your beds as soon as possible.” He looks at Minseok, who nods and whips out his phone, already scrolling through his contacts for a moving company. He turns to look at Jihyun, “Do you need anything sweetie?”

Jihyun flushes and shakes her head, her eyes trained to her white sneakers. Junmyeon smiles as his heart twists. Soohyun used to do the same thing whenever she felt shy. He curls his finger under Jihyun’s chin and smiles, “Hey, tell us, uncle Fanfan will get it for you, right?”

Yifan quickly agrees, “Yes, Jihyun-ah, tell me?”

Jihyun looks up and softly says, “Just my bed and bookshelf. You got all my clothes, so I don’t need anything else.”

Yifan looks at Minseok again, who nods, he had heard what Jihyun said. He walks out of the room, having found who he was looking for on his phone. Yifan follows his manager outside as Seohyun asks everyone else left in the room, “So do you guys want something to eat? I know Yifan bought a waffle maker he never used!”

Junmyeon knows Jihyun loves waffles, but to his surprise, she doesn’t show any enthusiasm. The girl just smiles and nods her while the twins rejoice. Seohyun leaves the room with the twins and Junmyeon presses Jihyun’s shoulder, “Hey, I thought you loved waffles.”

Jihyun mutters, “I went out with mommy to eat waffles before, before—” She is unable to finish the sentence as she breaks out into heavy sobs. Junmyeon is instantly on his knees, wrapping his arms around Jihyun and cradling her in his lap. Junmyeon lets her cry as he rubs her back soothingly, trying to comfort her. She cries and hiccups as she curls into Junmyeon’s chest and the front of his t-shirt gets wet with her tears. Junmyeon tries to gulp, trying to ease the knot in his throat as he tries very hard to not cry at the small, heart wrenching sobs of the child in his arms. He presses his cheek on top of Jihyun’s head and gently rocks her, hoping it would eventually stop her sobbing.

As he tries to comfort Jihyun, Yifan is returning to the room, but he stops at the doorway. Jihyun’s muted sobs tug at his heart and he moves to the side to rub his face, to tell himself to not allow the tears that still threaten to spill over. It’s been a little over forty-eight hours since three children got orphaned and he lost his best friends. Of all the things that could happen to him, he never thought this was possible. But here he is, with his proclaimed nemesis in his house trying to comfort a grief-stricken child. He braves a peek back into the room, and as he watches Junmyeon slowly rock Jihyun in his arm, somewhere he feels he is glad the other man is here, no matter how much he dislikes him—he knows Junmyeon can take of her better than he ever could.

However, damn if he will ever let the other man know that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N. The inspiration behind this fic is wild af. 
> 
> 'Life As We Know It', 'So I Married an Anti-fan' and a Bengali movie called 'Shuddhu Ekti Bochchor' inspired this madness XD


	4. Chapter 4

Lee Soonkyu arrives five minutes early and Yifan opens the door, and at first, he couldn’t see her because he had no idea people can be _that_ short. But what the woman lacked in height, she made it up with her vivacious personality and long list of references. Five minutes in, Yifan is impressed. The twins take to her immediately, and Jihyun is polite but distant. Junmyeon can tell the oldest Ahn is having some trouble adjusting to Soonkyu. After a brief house tour, and pay negotiations, Soonkyu agrees to move in and Yifan offers the fourth room on the first floor to her.

They return downstairs and as Soonkyu is about to leave, she says, “Oh, by the way, you can call me Sunny!”

“Okay, Sunny, see you tomorrow?” Yifan grins as he shakes her hand.

“Yep!”

As the door closes behind her, Junmyeon crosses his arms and smirks up at Yifan. Junmyeon knows Yifan approves of Sunny, that her credentials and behaviour had won Yifan over. The taller just rolls his eyes and huffs. “Alright, you win.”

Junmyeon grins. “Aw, I can see your ginormous ego deflating.”

Yifan smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Well yours is inflating. Maybe it would add to your height?”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes and is about to retort when he hears the twins calling their names. Junseo and Junhyung are running down the stairs, and Yifan quickly grabs Junhyung before the kid nearly trips and falls on his face. Yifan frowns, “No running down the stairs.”

Junhyung grins, and doesn’t look very apologetic but smiles anyway, “Sorry Fanfan.”

Junseo tugs at Junmyeon’s denim and pouts, “Moonmoon, we are hungry!”

Yifan lets Junhyung down when the child starts squirming in his hold, eager to join his brother who is excited to eat. He looks at Junmyeon, “Um, pizza?”

Junmyeon nods, but he asks, “Aren’t actors supposed to not eat junk food?”

Yifan rolls his eyes. “As long as Minseok doesn’t know.”

Junmyeon smirks. “Or, you don’t know how to shop for groceries or cook?”

Yifan flushes but he marches into the kitchen, but Junmyeon got his answer. The twins have entered the living room on the right, the one that Yifan actually uses. The living room Park Bom was received in was only for guests. Taecyeon is teaching the kids how to turn the television on and select channels when Junmyeon enters, the bodyguard stands up with a firm, “Sir.”

Junmyeon blushes and widens his eyes. “Um, please, you don’t have to call me sir or anything. Junmyeon is fine.”

Taecyeon has taken off his sunglasses (the sun has set after all) and he is _so much more_ handsome without them. He has rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and wow, Junmyeon might be drooling for real a little. He shakes his head and looks a little confused, “But you are Mr Wu’s friend, I cannot call you by your name. Is Dr Kim okay?”

Junmyeon wants to correct Taecyeon (“Mr Wu’s friend” … _haha_ ) but he stops himself. He smiles, “That will do.”

Taecyeon smiles and Junmyeon realises he has dimples, _oh be still his heart_. He is too old for crushes but whatever. The twins have successfully found their favourite channel. Junseo punches his brother, “Go call noona, she would hate to miss this!” Junhyung quickly scampers away. Taecyeon remains standing and so does Junmyeon, but the latter starts feeling uncomfortable. He sits down beside Junseo and gestures at Taecyeon to sit down as well. The bodyguard seems conflicted, but he takes another chair and sits down. Junmyeon tries to hide his smile; Ok Taecyeon is cute.

Junhyung returns with Jihyun and the girl’s eyes are still puffy from the heavy sobbing earlier. Junmyeon throws his arms open and Jihyun quickly scrambles up his lap. The twins move on to bother Taecyeon with Junseo very seriously asking how the older man got so tall and how can he become tall like that as well. Jihyun gives her brothers a wane smile from Junmyeon’s embrace. Jihyun asks, “Where’s Yifan uncle?”

“He is ordering pizza for everyone,” Junmyeon replies.

“Oh,” Jihyun scrunches up her nose. “I hope he gets my favourite…” As if on cue, Yifan enters the room, and cannot help but smile at the adorable scene in front of him—the twins asking a million question per minute to Taecyeon from the carpeted floor, and Jihyun and Junmyeon softly whispering to each other on the big sofa. Suddenly, his heart twists as he thinks this is the most occupied his large house has ever been. And he quite likes the scene.

Taecyeon spots his boss lurking b the door, so he quickly gets to his feet, “Mr Wu?”

Yifan shakes out of his reverie and says, “You are staying for dinner, okay?”

“Sir, I can—”

Yifan waves his hands, “Yeah, yeah I know. But I am ordering you, you would listen to me then, right?” Taecyeon ducks his head and the twins drag him down to sit between them on the floor. “Okay, let me see. Junseo and Junhyung like pepperoni and Jihyun likes barbeque chicken?” When the kids answer in affirmation, Yifan’s gaze lands on Junmyeon, who is staring right back at him. “And um, you like margheritas, right?”

Junmyeon’s eyebrows rise in surprise when Yifan calls out his favourite pizza. He just nods his head and Yifan leaves the room. He didn’t expect Yifan to know, or remember. Does Yifan still eat his favourite toppings?

(When all of their orders arrive, Junmyeon is surprised that he still correctly remembers what pizza Yifan liked as well. Even after all this years, Yifan still prefers vegetarian pizzas…just like he does as well.)

 

Next morning, Junmyeon is the first to wake up. The house is silent and for a second he cannot remember where he is. Then, as he sits up and runs his fingers through his hair, the events of the previous day remind him of his current predicament. At the home of the enemy…at least he has a nice bed, Junmyeon chuckles as he gets down from the bed. He slept fine, despite the alien environment. He yawns as he heads to the bathroom to freshen up. He grabs his bag of green tea and his favourite blue mug, and heads downstairs. He prefers green tea before breakfast, since coffee on an empty stomach gives him acidity.

Before going downstairs, he did check on the kids. To his surprise, he had found the twin’s room empty, however, he soon found them in Jihyun’s room. The sight of the three children cuddled up together nearly brought him to tears. Right now, he tries to boil some water and clear his mind. Today, he would say his final goodbyes to his friends. The cremation happened last night, and the funeral is today. Joohyun and Soohyun’s grandmother arranged for that. Junmyeon pours the hot water into the mug and sighs. Both women decided to keep the children out of this, and the guardians couldn’t agree more.

Just then, the backdoor opens and Yifan steps in. Junmyeon turns around at the noise and Yifan pulls down his face mask and shakes his head. Droplets of sweats fly about and his t-shirt sticks to his body, and Junmyeon surmises he must have been on a run. Then, to Junmyeon’s greatest surprise, Yifan pulls his drenched t-shirt off and the former’s eyes bulges when he realises the jogging pants are hanging on his hipbone a few levels below acceptable. His eyes move up from the (distracting) hipbones and his eyebrows raise on his own, because wow, Wu Yifan managed to save his basketball player physique even after years. Then Junmyeon whips his head around and stares deep into the murky green depths of his tea as he tries to understand why was he just _staring at Yifan’s bare chest because what the fuck?_

Yifan finally notices Junmyeon’s presence in his kitchen. He drapes his discarded t-shirt around his neck like a scarf and says, “Didn’t know you were an early riser?”

 _If you knew, would you still parade nearly naked in your house?_ Junmyeon wants to ask that but he replies in a clipped tone, “There’s a shitload you don’t about me Wu.” He is still staring at the drink in his hand as he turns around to face Yifan.

Yifan scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Well, you are not that very interesting, are you?”

Junmyeon plasters a fake smile. “Well, obviously. You are an actor, and I am just a doctor, busy saving lives and helping people.”

Yifan ignores Junmyeon’s jibe and walks towards the fridge. He bends down to grab a cold-water bottle, and despite trying to hold it in, a hiss passes his lips as his back muscles strain. Junmyeon hears it, and is about to ask about it when Yifan explains, “I got injured.”

“Recently?” Junmyeon asks, his doctor instincts kicking in anyway. He watches the way Yifan scrunches up his face as he straightens himself.

“Yeah.” Yifan drinks from his bottle and Junmyeon watches his Adams’ apple bob up and down. Yifan regards Junmyeon and his bed hair. Who would believe that the short man dressed in the oversized t-shirt and baby blue pyjamas with a crow’s nest is the bane of his existence? _Not that he looks cute like this or anything._

“You go see a doctor, right? Looks serious.”

Yifan rolls his eyes again. “I am not an idiot.”

“That’s debatable,” Junmyeon grins.

Yifan narrows his eyes as he puts the water bottle down. “You know Kim, I never understood what your problem with me is.”

Junmyeon raises both his eyebrows. He sips his tea and instead of answering, asks, “Then tell me first, what exactly did I do to offend you?”

Yifan doesn’t answer, he just glares at Junmyeon, who does the same. Junmyeon is trying not to drop his gaze while Yifan is trying to do the same. Maybe seven in the morning is too early for stare-downs, but hey, neither will back down no matter what.

_“You think you are so important, don’t you?”_

_“Well, at least I am not an insufferable know-it-all!”_

_“Wow, you are using bigger words to insult me now. I am almost proud of your vocabulary!”_

_“Shut up Kim. Also, is this the best you can do?”_

_“With you, yes. Your peanut brain might explode Wu.”_

_“Fuck off Kim.”_

_“Oh, I will gladly! Talking to you makes my brain cells want to shrivel up and die!”_

So many years later, in a huge kitchen of a house, ages reverse with time and voices from the past echo in the open space. Nothing can ever change, especially when they both know their hatred never really had a cause, a catalyst or a reason. It was like hate at first sight and it has survived despite life going on as it is.

However, situations have changed, and when a small voice says, “Fanfan?” the men return to the present. Junseo is standing at the entrance, with a pouty face and arms outstretched. Yifan quickly picks him up. Junseo scrunches his nose and whines, “Ew, Fanfan you smell bad!”

Yifan laughs. “Well, Fanfan was exercising.”

Junseo realises Junmyeon is in the kitchen as well. He grins, “Moonmoon!”

Junmyeon smiles and comes closer to Yifan. Junseo shifts, throwing his arms towards Junmyeon, who puts his mug down to take Junseo in his arms. Junseo tucks his face against Junmyeon’s neck and says, “Moonmoon smells nice.”

Junmyeon chuckles as he tries to flatten Junseo’s bed hair. “What woke you up?”

“Noona was crying in her sleep and then Hyun kicked me, so I woke up.”

As soon as Junseo finishes his sentence, Junmyeon looks at Yifan, his eyes wide in alarm. Yifan nods, understanding the cause of alarm, and walks out of the kitchen in large steps. When Junmyeon hears him running up the stairs, he exhales. “Seo? Do you want breakfast?”

Junseo untucks his head and rubs his eyes. Junmyeon grabs his tiny fist to stop him. When Junseo nods, he pecks the top of his head and places him on the large marble counter. He looks into Yifan’s fridge and feels relieved when he finds some eggs and bread. He also takes out the milk and says, “Scrambled eggs?”

Junseo smiles, “With cheese?”

Junmyeon bites his lip. Well, Yifan is an actor on a diet, right? What if there is no cheese? But Junmyeon digs around in the fridge for some time, and yelps when he finds a small block of parmesan. He takes a sniff though, and when he finds it hasn’t rotted, he flashes a thumb up at Junseo and says, “With cheese it is!”

 

Yifan enters Jihyun’s room (not before wearing his soiled t-shirt) and finds Junhyung sleeping at the very edge of the bed while Jihyun is curled up in a ball at the other side. Yifan fixes Junhyung’s position, who wakes up and says groggily, “Fanfan?”

“Hey, kiddo. Are you hungry? Junmyeon is making breakfast for your brother,” Yifan says as he wipes the drool collected on the corner of Junhyung’s lips with his thumb.

Junhyung smiles and sits up. “Yes!”

“Off you go!” he picks the child up and puts him down on the floor, and as soon as his feet touch the ground, he speeds off. Yifan is about to shout to not run down the stairs, but stops when he hears sniffling. He walks to the other side of the bed and finds Jihyun crying with her eyes tightly squeezed shut. Yifan sits down and rubs her back. Jihyun slowly wakes up, and when she feels a warm hand on her back, she opens her eyes and realises the blurry figure is Yifan, who is smiling down at her. She rubs her eyes and says, “Yifan uncle?”

“Hey, bad dream?” Yifan asks in a careful tone.

Jihyun shakes her head. “No.”

Yifan shakes his head as well, “Jihyun, you don’t have to lie.”

Jihyun juts her lower lip out. “It wasn’t a bad dream…I just saw mommy and dad in my dreams. We were having a picnic and we were all smiling.” She tries to cover her face with her pillow, but Yifan gently pries it away. Jihyun sighs, knowing she cannot win against an adult. “I will have to say goodbye to them today, right?”

Yifan nods. “All of us will need to say our goodbyes.” He gulps, trying to keep a composed face in front of the young girl. He is the adult here after all.

 

Four hours, three dress changes and a full sprint on the first floor (thanks to Junhyung and Junseo) later, they are finally ready to leave the house. Soonkyu will arrive after they return from the funeral, so Junmyeon and Yifan were tasked with dressing the two devils aka Junseo and Junhyung Ahn. Junseo refused to take his shower while Junhyung suddenly wanted to run down the first-floor corridor naked. Jihyun tried to help her uncles, but gave up.

They take the Aston Martin and soon a fight breaks out between the twins as they argue over who gets to be the shotgun. After three intense rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Junmyeon finally steps in as referee and mediator and declares that Junseo will be shotgun during leaving, while Junhyung will have his turn when they return. The twins grumble but agree after Junmyeon stares them down, while Jihyun giggles from the backseat. Yifan too grins at Junmyeon’s brand of discipline, but he hides it behind his hand.

The journey to the funeral homes is longer than Junmyeon expected, but then again Yifan lives on the outskirts of Seoul. The funeral home isn’t in proper Seoul either, but a train crossing delays them by fifteen minutes. They still manage to get there on time, and Soohyun’s grandmother, Myeongju, is waiting for them at the entrance in her wheelchair. She smiles, her skin folding into numerous wrinkles, and nostalgia floods Junmyeon when he remembers all those afternoons he spent at Soohyun’s small house eating cold noodles prepared by grandma Myeongju. He glances at Yifan from the corner of his eyes, and he can tell Yifan is lost in memories as well.

Yifan walks up to her first and drops to his knee as Myeongju kisses his temple. She wheezes, “I saw your movie a few days ago! You made such a cute bald monk!”

Yifan smiles, flushing a little in embarrassment, and guilt—he hadn’t visited her in months. Junmyeon helps the children down from the car and they slowly make their way to their great-grandmother. Yifan moves to allow her to kiss and hug her great-grandchildren. Jihyun spends an extra couple minutes more in Myeongju’s embrace. Yifan gets a phone call, so he excuses himself for a minute. Junmyeon ushers the children inside as Myeongju gets wheeled in by her nurse.

They have booked the biggest room, because Changsun and Soohyun knew a lot of people, and as expected, more than forty people were already in the space. Junmyeon greeted the ones he knew and the children talked to people they knew as well. One of Changsun’s colleagues, Woohyun, offers Junmyeon help and together they make the rounds of greeting everyone else—people mostly from Changsun and Soohyun’s office. A hush falls into the room when Yifan steps in, who flushes as he powerwalks to where Junmyeon is standing with Woohyun and Hyejin, Soohyun’s friend from the office. Hyejin gapes at Yifan, “Whoa, Soohyun wasn’t kidding when she told me she knew you.”

The proceedings soon start, and the temple priest instructs them throughout the service. Jihyun keeps her face passive, but an hour later, the twins start wailing as the gravity of the situation sinks in. Yifan sits with them in a corner and tries his best to comfort them. After the prayer service is over, they move to the cemetery adjacent to the home where the ashes will be buried side by side under two grave markers. Yifan carries Junhyung, who had cried himself to sleep, while Junmyeon grabs Junseo and Jihyun’s hands. The walk to the cemetery is silent, punctuated by a few birds calling every now and then. The burial proceeds peacefully, and Jihyun puts a white chrysanthemum on her parents’ grave.

They all file back to the reception area, and Yifan and Junmyeon get busy with serving the guests. Some people gush at Yifan and try to take pictures, which makes Junmyeon mad. He looks at Yifan, and sees the anger and disgust on his face. Judging by the hardened jaw, Yifan is holding back from shouting at everyone and making even bigger of a scene. Price of being famous, and Yifan knows it only too well. Junmyeon puts down the tray of rice as he empathises, and curls his hand around Yifan’s elbow. He gently squeezes and says, his voice uncharacteristically soft, “Don’t try to kill anyone, okay?”

Yifan is surprised by Junmyeon’s soft voice. He looks down at the man beside him and smiles, “I will try my best, and even if I did, I can just bury them out back.”

Junmyeon chuckles and shakes his head. He releases Yifan and collects the tray again. Yifan quietly watches Junmyeon serve everyone rice, with Hyejin’s help. His heart slowly pounds as he realises he had a very _normal_ moment with Junmyeon, something that would have been utterly impossible a few days ago. From the entrance to the dining room, Yifan can see into the main hall, where the huge pictures of Changsun and Soohyun rest. He shakes his head and jokingly admonishes his friends in his head.

After a few hours, as the sun looms closer to the horizon, the guests trickle out one by one. Lastly, only Woohyun is left with Yifan, Junmyeon, the children and Myeongju. Suddenly, a tall man with unshaved face staggers up to Myeongju. The older woman was at the entrance to the hall chatting with her grandchildren, while the men were talking a bit further away. Woohyun and Yifan are discussing something about the Ahn’s finances, when Junmyeon realises the stranger is gesticulating at Myeongju. Soon, Myeongju raises her voice and Junmyeon grabs Yifan’s wrist, “Come on!”

Yifan is about to ask what is Junmyeon up to, but he doesn’t have to when he hears the argument as well. The stranger points at the children cowering behind Myeongju and shouts, “They are my flesh and blood! How dare you tell me I have no rights?”

Yifan says in a firm voice, “The court says so. Who are you?”

The stranger whips his head, and frowns. “I am their uncle, Jongup. Who are you?”

Yifan pulls Junmyeon beside him and says, frowning, “We are Changsun and Soohyun’s friends, and Jihyun, Junseo and Junhyung’s legal guardians.”

The man widens his eyes and shouts, “What!”

Myeongju raises her voice, “Please, go away Jongup! Soohyun would never leave the kids with you! She knew only too well what kind of a monster you are!”

Jongup bares his teeth and growls, “Monster? Me? You are halfway to your own grave woman, what do you know?” He leans over Myeongju with a sinister expression.

Junmyeon grabs Jongup’s shoulder and pulls him back. “I suggest you leave mister. You are scaring the kids and if you have any problems, I further advise you to meet us in the court.”

Jongup looks livid as he pushes Junmyeon back, who loses his balance but Yifan grabs him before he can fall. Yifan puts a hand on the small of his back and doesn’t remove it as he narrows his eyes at Jongup, “I would listen to him, unless you would want the police here.”

Jongup says nothing, he simply glares down at Myeongju, then at Yifan and Junmyeon, before huffing and stomping down the driveway. Junmyeon quickly rushes towards the children, who engulf him and start sobbing. Yifan presses Myeongju’s shoulder, “You okay?”

Myeongju silently cries. “This is why Soohyun and Changsun decided to leave the kids with you, you know. If they had left them with me, Jongup would have come much sooner. He is only after the money, the kids would have…would have been…” She breaks out into louder sobs.

Yifan says, “Don’t worry, we will protect the kids with all we have. We are not gonna let that man come any closer to them ever again, I promise.” He looks at the kids, and isn’t surprised to find Junmyeon looking at him with a small, kindly smile; he finds himself returning that smile.


	5. Chapter 5

The journey back is silent, even the twins forgot their fight and are currently curled up against Junmyeon’s either side while Jihyun is in the front. They left the funeral home after almost an hour. Junmyeon calmed Myeongju down and they waited till her car from the hospice arrived. The children were a little spooked by the encounter and they had since fallen into this sullen silence, and even though silence is a blessing with the twins around, none of the adults are enjoying it right now.

Then there was the odd way Yifan smiled at him that refuses to leave Junmyeon’s head. But he knows he shouldn’t dwell too much on it anyway—he has other pressing concerns. He pushes it away, to the very back of his mind. He runs his fingers through Junseo’s hair and the child moves, pressing his cheek on Junmyeon’s arms. He says, “Moonmoon? That scary uncle won’t take us away, right?”

“Never,” Junmyeon promises.

Junhyung quips, “Fanfan will scare them away with his scary eyebrows!”

Yifan bursts out laughing, even Jihyun chuckles lightly. Junmyeon laughs along as well, and his gaze lands on a supermarket that they pass by, which reminds him of the lack of kid-friendly food at the house. He says, “Hey Wu, can we stop at the market?”

Yifan nods and at the next u-turn, he swerves the car and halts in front of the market. The twins are done with their sullenness and are now eager to enter the market, probably thinking how they can convince their uncles to buy them everything sweet and unhealthy. They share a mischievous glance, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Junmyeon. As they are about to get down, Junmyeon asks, “Um, should you even go in there, I mean, not without Taecyeon?”

Yifan grins as he opens the cache on the dashboard. He grabs a face mask and sunglasses and quickly wears them. Jihyun narrows his eyes, “Uncle, that’s not a great disguise.”

Junmyeon agrees, “It’s not. Maybe you should stay here?”

Yifan pulls off his glasses and sighs. “Fine, I will stay then. No need to get mobbed with the kids around.”

“Exactly,” Junmyeon says, then he hesitates, “Or we could do this tomorrow? With your bodyguard around?”

Yifan narrows his eyes at Junmyeon. “No, I will be fine. You go on ahead.”

Jihyun softly asks Junmyeon, “Can I stay with uncle Yifan?”

Junmyeon allows since Yifan will have some company, and then he questions why does he even care as he gets down from the car and the twins follow. When they are inside the market, Yifan finds an empty space in the parking place and shuts off the engine. He gets down and stretches his legs. He presses his lips; he isn’t blind—he has seen Junmyeon give Taecyeon “looks”. Well, he just needs to make sure Junmyeon doesn’t _actually_ jump his bodyguard, because he really doesn’t want to lose Taecyeon—the last bodyguard wanted to be a rapper and used to leave mixtapes all over Yifan’s car and home (and they weren’t very nice mixtapes).

Honestly, he didn’t think the doctor is even capable of jumping anybody because he remembers how many people Junmyeon rejected back in high school. “Prude” was some of the kinder words people used for him, but he supposes people change and Kim Junmyeon is allowed to change as well. Also, who is he to comment on this? Despite his popularity, he didn’t manage to lose his virginity before twenty-two, that too to an older woman. So, yeah, he got no right to comment.

Jihyun gets down from the car as well while Yifan is lost in his thoughts. Yifan is startled when he feels someone tugging on his sleeve. He looks down to see Jihyun pouting, “Can you give me some money please?”

Yifan frowns but grabs his wallet anyway, “Why?”

“I want ice cream,” she points towards a small stall a few yards away from the parking lot. Yifan hands her some money. “Do you want one?” When Yifan shakes his head, she runs off towards the stall. Yifan watches her from the distance as she buys a cone of ice cream. She is walking slowly as she holds the softie in her hands. She hands Yifan the change and stands beside him.

Yifan asks, “What did you get?”

“Strawberry. You sure you don’t want one?” Jihyun asks. When Yifan shakes his head, she returns to devour the cold treat. Yifan smiles when he notices Jihyun bites her ice cream, just like her father used to. Yifan would get a brain freeze just looking at Changsun eating his ice cream. His reverie is disrupted when his phone rings. He fishes it out of his pocket to find Minseok calling him. He says, “Yes?”

“The movers will arrive by eight. Where are you now?” Minseok asks.

“Grocery shopping…well Junmyeon more than me. I am waiting in the car.”

“Good, if I had to wake up to SNS sites blowing up with pictures of you and the doctor and kids, I would have slaughtered you.”

Yifan darkly chuckles, “Nice to know how much you care about me.”

“Shut up dork. Anyway, we need to do a press conference about the guardianship. I, and the agency, want you to disclose this personally before Dispatch gets to it.”

Yifan nods. “I know,” he rubs his face. “I will talk to the doctor.”

“You do that. I will bring dinner along, okay?”

Yifan grimaces. “By the way, do I really have to be on that diet?”

“I know you ate pizza last night.”

Yifan curses Taecyeon in his mind. _That traitor._ “I went on a run today!”

“Sure, doesn’t matter. You will be eating whatever I bring you. What does the doctor like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ask him.”

Yifan bites his lip. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.” Minseok disconnects before Yifan can start whining.

Yifan glares down at his phone and wonders how hurt Seohyun will be if he kills his manager. Jihyun asks, “Who was that?”

“My manager,” Yifan replies.

“Minseok uncle? I like him,” Jihyun grins.

“Yeah, he’s okay I guess…he is bringing dinner for you guys. What do you want to eat?”

“Noodles!”

Yifan chuckles at her enthusiasm. “Okay, and your brothers?”

“Oh, they like noodles too!”

Yifan mutters, “Do I really have to ask what Junmyeon likes…”

Jihyun hears him anyway. “I think Junmyeon uncle doesn’t eat noodles, he said it makes him fat or something.”

Yifan grins. _Oh, is that so?_ He quickly sends his manager a message. Since they are in this “together”, why must he suffer alone?

 

Junmyeon managed to stop the twins from putting the entire candy aisle in the trolley as he pays for the groceries and head back to the car. He finds Yifan and Jihyun standing outside and chuckling. Yifan notices them and his gummy smile freezes as he comes forward to help Junmyeon, which pleasantly surprises the latter. He is carrying four bags in total and Yifan quickly takes two from him. He pops open the trunk and puts the items down. Junmyeon hands him the other two bags as well, and Yifan neatly organises them. A family-sized package of Snickers fall from the last bag and Yifan chuckles, “Did the boys manage to convince you to buy them?”

Junmyeon blushes. “Um, no, that’s mine.”

Yifan looks at Junmyeon in disbelief for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. He closes the trunk and keeps chuckling at Junmyeon’s scowl. “You got a huge sweet tooth Kim.”

“Is that a crime?” Junmyeon asks as he stomps away, both in anger and surprise because Yifan’s tone back there wasn’t teasing, not one bit. He wrenches the backseat open and this time, Junseo and Jihyun follow him as Junhyung takes the passenger seat.

“No, just, aren’t doctors usually health conscious? I mean, what kind of an example are you providing to the kids?” Yifan asks as he wears his seatbelt.

Junmyeon narrows his eyes and refuses to answer. Yifan doesn’t poke anymore and starts the car. The journey back to the house is filled with some chattering as Junhyung and Junseo inform Jihyun and Yifan about the free sausage samples they tasted.

When they reach their house, it is close to seven and two small trucks are blocking the driveway. Yifan doesn’t look fazed even though Junmyeon has questions. He turns the car and follows the supplementary driveway that directly takes them to the garage at the back. Yifan parks the car and as they get down, he explains, “Minseok is here with the movers.”

Junmyeon nods. They head to the house via the backdoor and he can hear Minseok and Taecyeon ordering the movers around. Taecyeon notices them entering and he quickly takes all four grocery bags. Junmyeon smiles up at him in gratitude and Taecyeon fumbles a little (Yifan narrows his eyes and wonders just how much _things_ are one-sided).

Yifan goes to find Minseok, who is supervising the movers in the twins’ room. The bunk is bed is almost set when Yifan arrives. Minseok throws his arm around Yifan’s shoulder and asks, “How was the funeral?”

“Fine, except we met a family member from Soohyun’s side,” Yifan replies. “He wasn’t very happy to see us.”

Minseok furrows his brows, “I will increase security around the house then.”

“Yeah, as much as I hate that,” Yifan sighs, “It will keep the kids safe.”

“Yeah, and have you talked to Junmyeon about the press con?”

“Press con?” someone asks from behind them. The two men turn around to find Junmyeon blinking at them in confusion.

Minseok shares a glance with Yifan and says, “You are on your own here.” And then, he pushes Yifan away, who glares at his manager once before beckoning Junmyeon to follow him. The children had followed him upstairs, and Minseok distracts them.

Junmyeon follows, though he is annoyed, confused and curious. They walk down the entire length of the corridor and are reaching a dead end. Junmyeon wonders where they are going when to his surprise, at his right, he notices a winding staircase with a trapdoor on top of it. Yifan puts a foot on the stairs and says, “What?”

Junmyeon points up and asks, “What is up there?”

“My room,” Yifan shrugs.

“The attic is your room?”

“Well, yes.” He starts climbing the stairs and Junmyeon quickly follows. Yifan pushes the trapdoor and it opens without a sound. He disappears through the mouth and waits for Junmyeon. When Junmyeon reaches the top, his mouth drops.

The entire third floor is his room, and it is more like a studio apartment. There is a large bed, a bookshelf, several comfortable chairs, a television with advanced sound systems, a huge open closet and a piano. There are rugs thrown all over the room and there are fairy lights draped all over the bookshelf. Junmyeon whistles, “I feel like I just walked into an Instagram account of a hipster’s bedroom.”

Yifan chuckles. “Blame Seohyun, this is all her doing.”

Junmyeon walks over the bookshelf and eyes the titles. A poetry book catches his attention, and he pulls it out. He flips through it and says, “I don’t remember you being into poetry back in school.”

Yifan comes to stand beside him and he shrugs, even though his cheeks are flushed and embarrassment creeps in. He scratches his neck and says, “Didn’t want to ruin my reputation of the cool dude.”

Junmyeon snorts. “Right. Nerds belonged with books while basketball superstars rather be dead than be caught with a book?”

Yifan chuckles darkly. “Something like it.” He shuffles closer and peers down at the page Junmyeon was browsing. “This is one of my favourites.”

“Yeah?” Junmyeon asks as the hair on his neck stands up when Yifan leans closer. His elbow is pressed against Yifan’s side as the latter bends and places his pointer finger on the page. Yifan says, “Especially this part… _I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my own soul._ ”

Junmyeon’s voice drops to a whisper as he realises how deep Yifan’s voice truly is, “Pretty powerful. This is among Henley’s best works.”

“Yeah.” This close, Yifan tries to discern what Junmyeon’s shampoo smells like, because he kind of likes it. He quickly steps back and takes a deep breath as he registers his thoughts. Junmyeon quickly pushes the book back in and takes a deep breath as well. He clasps his hands and says, “Um, what was Minseok talking about?”

Yifan blinks and tries to collect his thoughts. “Oh yeah, that.” He points to one of the chairs in front of the bookshelf and when Junmyeon sits down on it, he continues, “I am an actor and I have the media on my tail whenever I so much as step outside to breathe. So, the fact that I am now the guardian of three children will cause some waves and Minseok wanted me to hold a press conference with you to announce the news before the paparazzi gets a hold of it and blows it out of proportion.”

Junmyeon hugs his knees and raises his eyebrows. As much as it discomforts him to confront the media, he sees Yifan’s point. He nods his head, “I understand. So, when do we do that?”

“As soon as possible,” Yifan didn’t think Junmyeon would agree to it so fast. “I will tell Minseok to arrange for it within tomorrow or day after tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Junmyeon turns his head to look up at Yifan, who remained standing by the books. The fairy lights tint his face a soft golden hue and Junmyeon is reminded that sometimes the taller could be attractive (he supposes). He grabs his errant thoughts and asks, “Do the kids have to be there too?”

Yifan shakes his head. “I rather not expose them to the public.”

“Yeah, I was wondering the same.”

Suddenly, the trap door opens and Minseok’s head pops up. “The movers are done and there is someone called Sunny at the door.”

Junmyeon gets from his seat at record speed. Ever since the moment at the shelf, Junmyeon felt it hard to breathe in the huge room. He felt confused and he needed a distraction. So, he says, “I will see to that. Um, Yifan and you probably need to discuss some things.”

Minseok frowns at Yifan, who slowly nods his head. Minseok climbs up into the room and makes space for Junmyeon to get down. Junmyeon takes a huge gulp of air as he reaches the bottom. _Stupid actors with stupid voices._

 

Dinner time arrived and Junmyeon is seated at the table with Yifan, Jihyun, Junseo, Junhyung, Sunny, Taecyeon and Minseok (they dragged extra chairs from wherever they could find in the house) with Junmyeon glaring at Yifan. The actor simply smirks as he eats his salad. Earlier, Yifan had texted Minseok telling him to bring Junmyeon diet food as well. Junmyeon tries to eat healthy, and he is not on a diet, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell Minseok how much he hates this salad. He is not an actor who needs to look good twenty-four-seven! He chomps his leafy green vegetables as he tries to kill Yifan through his mind. Beside him, Taecyeon tries to engage him in conversation, and that distracts him from the bland food (he misses Yifan glaring at him). 

Sunny already had her dinner so she is trying to warm the children up to her. Jihyun actually talks to her today. Minseok and Yifan talk about the latter returning to work. After dinner is over, Junmyeon and Sunny wash the dishes with Taecyeon and the children helping them. Yifan goes to see Minseok off at the door. When he returns, Taecyeon and Sunny are playing with the children while Junmyeon watches them with a smile on his face. Yifan waits for a minute, just glancing between Junmyeon and the children, with the same sensation of fulfilment filling him. Somewhere, he wishes things always remained this way. He shakes his head and reminds himself why he came here. He walks over to Junmyeon, who gets startled when he feels a hand on his elbow. Yifan says, “Minseok has arranged for the press con at tomorrow evening. You are free, right?”

Junmyeon bites his lip. “Well, I am returning to the hospital tomorrow. But I will try to leave early.”

“Okay.”

They watch the children for a while before Yifan remembers. “We have to do something for Jihyun’s birthday.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Junmyeon crosses his arms.

Later, Sunny tucks the twins and braids Jihyun’s hair. When she is done, Junmyeon takes her aside to talk. He asks, “So, what do you think? You can handle the twins?”

Sunny laughs, “Oh they are a handful, but they are good kids.” Her smile drops as she frowns, “But Jihyun, I suggest you take her to a therapist as soon as possible. I can see her suppressing her emotions.”

Junmyeon sighs. “I know, I have realised the same. I will talk to Yifan before taking any decision.”

Sunny’s eyes brighten up then. “Never thought I would be employed by the hottest star in Seoul!”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “He isn’t that great.”

Sunny laughs and cuffs Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Sure.” She is still laughing as she heads to her room, leaving Junmyeon shaking his head in exasperation.

As he heads back to his room, he thinks about the events of the day. Yifan and his equation has changed, not entirely though—as judged by the little prank Yifan pulled on him at dinner—but things have definitely changed, and Junmyeon doesn’t know how he is supposed to deal with that. He stands in front of the mirror in the bathroom and picks up his toothbrush. He thinks back to the moment in Yifan’s room and tries to decipher why his body reacted the way it did. He remembers something Soohyun told him ages ago…but she couldn’t have been right…right?

 

It is somewhere after midnight when Yifan wakes up. His throat is parched and he forgot to carry the water bottle tonight. He gets up from bed and heads downstairs. He walks down the corridor and pauses in front of Junmyeon’s room. His cheeks heat up and he shakes his head as he speeds up. No need to loiter, in the corridor and in his mind. He gets his water and he is about to pass Jihyun’s room, when he hears muffled crying. He realises it is coming from her room and he opens the door, relieved to find it wasn’t locked. He walks in and quickly turns on all the lights. Jihyun is tangled up in her blankets with her eyes shut tightly and with tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she screams and Yifan scrambles forward.

He grabs Jihyun’s shoulder and tries to detangle her from the bedsheets. She starts sobbing loudly and calls for her mother. Yifan feels lost, and just then, someone steps inside the room, and he looks up to find Junmyeon hurrying over. He stands behind Yifan and says, “Try to wake her up.”

Yifan nods and shakes the child gently. Jihyun stops whimpering, but doesn’t wake up. Junmyeon leans over her and runs his fingers through her hair. He says, his voice softer than cotton, “Hey, Jihyun? Jihyun?”

It works and Jihyun slowly peels her eyes open. When she finds her uncle’s face looming over her, she throws her arms around his neck and Junmyeon picks her up. He sits down opposite Yifan and gently rocks her. The men share a glance as Jihyun pants in Junmyeon’s hold. Yifan rubs her back and it seems to comfort her as she pushes away from Junmyeon and turns to sit on his lap, facing Yifan. She rubs her eyes and Junmyeon mockingly warns, “Rubbing your eyes is not good for you.”

Jihyun immediately stops and murmurs, “Sorry.”

Yifan cups her chin and with his other hand wipes her tears. “Hey kiddo, you okay?”

Jihyun nods, then thinks about something and shakes her head. Junmyeon asks, “Bad dream?”

Jihyun bites her lip, refusing to provide an answer; Yifan is about to repeat Junmyeon’s question when the latter shakes his head. Yifan closes his mouth and Junmyeon says, “Do you want one of us to stay with you here?”

Jihyun nods her head. “Uncle Junmyeon can you?”

“No problem,” Junmyeon puts Jihyun down from his lap and gets to his feet. “I will just go get my pillow.” As he gets to his feet, he gestures at Yifan to follow him. When they are outside Junmyeon’s room, the latter says, “Sunny noona and I were talking…we think Jihyun needs to talk to a therapist. We think she is suppressing her emotions, and they are manifesting in nightmares.”

Yifan crosses his arms. “Okay, you are the doctor, you would know best.” Junmyeon hears no teasing, like he has been expecting to. “If you think she needs help, then it’s fine.”

“I just,” Junmyeon twists the hem of his t-shirt. “I just thought to let you know before I take any decision.”

Yifan smiles and runs his hand through his hair. “That’s okay. We are in this together, yeah?”

Junmyeon smiles back. “Yeah.”

And suddenly, both of them realise how far they have come right now, right here at this moment. Junmyeon looks away and hurries over to his room to grab his pillow while Yifan swallows and returns to Jihyun to tell her goodnight.


	6. Chapter 6

Next morning, Junmyeon helps Sunny with preparing breakfast. The children will re-join their school from tomorrow, so the mornings are still peaceful but Sunny tells him how hectic schooldays get. Junmyeon is returning to his job today as well and Sunny packs him lunch. As soon as he reaches his clinic, he gets flooded with work, and he gets so busy he almost forgets about talking with Dr Kim, Asan’s best child therapist, about Jihyun. However, after lunch, he is about to head back to his office when he finds Dr Kim tripping on air and falling face first to the ground.

Junmyeon rushes over and picks the child therapist up and says, “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Dr Kim Namjoon stands up with Junmyeon’s help and checks himself for any injuries. He smiles like an idiot, “Looks like I am fine.”

Junmyeon shakes his head and smiles as well. “You are such a klutz, I swear.”

Namjoon flushes and scratches the back of his head. Junmyeon knows that despite the goofy smile and terrible balance, Dr Kim Namjoon is among the best minds in the hospital. Junmyeon grabs his elbow and says, “Hey, are you free right now? There is something I want to talk to you about.”

Namjoon nods and ushers Junmyeon to his office. He closes the door and the men sit down. Junmyeon says, “So, well I better start from the beginning, I suppose.” He tells Namjoon everything—from the accident to the guardianship to Jihyun’s nightmare last night. Namjoon listens closely and asks questions. When Junmyeon is done, he says, “So? Will you take her case?”

“Since you are asking, of course I will hyung!” Namjoon grins. When Junmyeon makes a face, Namjoon sobers up and says, “No, but you could be right. If we don’t check her mental health now, it can worsen in the future.”

“Exactly—” Junmyeon’s phone starts ringing and he fishes it out of his coat. Yifan is calling him; he excuses himself and leaves the room. “Hello?”

“Oh, hello. So, I sent you the address of my agency. Can you make it by six? We can hold them an extra thirty minutes if you run late,” Yifan says.

Junmyeon checks the time. It is three now, and he has five more patients. He says, “I will try my very best.”

“Um, I can come pick you up.”

“Uh, no, you don’t have to—”

“I will be faster than taking public transport Kim.”

Junmyeon sighs; Yifan does have a point. “Fine, then be here by five forty-five. If I feel like I might need more time, prepare to wait.”

Yifan grunts. “Whatever. See you later and wear something nice.”

Junmyeon is about to reply when Yifan cuts the call. Junmyeon glares down at his phone for a second before putting it back in his pocket and re-entering Namjoon’s office. The therapist was browsing through some files when Junmyeon comes back. He asks, “Everything okay?”

“Remember how I said my co-guardian is my enemy from high school?” Junmyeon says.

“Oh yeah, the one you hate!” Namjoon laughs. “You know hyung, love and hate are the horns of the same goat.”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes at Namjoon. “I am pretty sure you just quoted a movie to me.”

Namjoon’s dimples deepen. “Maybe!”

Junmyeon shakes his head and leaves when he realises his next appointment is due in fifteen minutes. He throws himself into work again and hours pass; he is on his fourth patient when Yifan texts him. Junmyeon reads it and puts his phone away. His patient is a tricky one, and he is racking his brain to decide what type of blood tests to prescribe—he can’t pay attention to what Yifan has to say right now.

By the time his fifth, and last, patient arrives, Yifan has reached Asan and he is fuming inside the car wondering where Junmyeon is. He puts his face mask on and heads inside. After a quick query, he finds Junmyeon’s office and even though the red bulb is glowing bright and obvious above his door, Yifan barges in anyway.

Junmyeon is in the middle of checking the girl for strep throat when the door bursts open. He has the stick pressed on the girl’s tongue and he nearly chokes her when he gets startled by the sound. He whips his head around, ready to admonish whoever interrupted him. And his annoyance increases when he sees it is none other than Wu Yifan.

Yifan looks taken aback, and he actually is, as Junmyeon glowers at him, the girl blinks up at him in confusion and her father looks kind of pissed too. The man asks, “Dr Kim?”

Junmyeon bows at him and relaxes his expression. “Excuse me, Mr Seo, I will be right back.” He marches over to Yifan and grabbing his arm, pulls him out of the room. When they are outside, he halts and semi-shouts, “What the fuck Wu?”

Yifan pulls his mask down and says, “I told you be at the front in thirty!”

“My last patient had a complicated case, so excuse me for ignoring your message!”

“You could have told me that!”

“I got busy!”

Yifan crosses his arms and scowls. He doesn’t want to come between Junmyeon and his work, but he also doesn’t want to be late for the press con. He calms down and asks, “How long will it take?”

Junmyeon widens his eyes as Yifan mollifies. “Um, give me fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, I can wait.” Yifan walks over to the waiting area and pulls his mask up. He sits down and crosses his legs, and Junmyeon notes how out-of-place Yifan looks in his designer jeans and shoes in the paediatric ward. Junmyeon shakes his head and returns to his office. He confirms the strep throat and prescribes the correct medications. He doesn’t forget to give the child a soothing ginger lozenge for being patient with him (the father still sends him judgemental looks). He checks his watch and he realises it took him less than fifteen minutes. He walks outside and finds Yifan right where he last saw him.

Yifan gets up when he sees Junmyeon, who says, “Give me a minute. I need to grab my things.” Junmyeon ducks inside his office and grabs his bag. He discards his gloves and dumps his coat in the closet in his office and runs his hand through his hair. He dabs some cologne and reckons this is the least presentable he can look. With Wu Yifan beside him, who is going to look at him anyway?

 

They reach Yifan’s agency fifteen minutes late and as soon as Yifan parks his Aston Martin, Minseok appears and starts shouting, “Do you know how late you are?”

Junmyeon quickly apologises, “I am sorry Minseok hyung, it’s my fault, I had too many patients today.”

Minseok presses his lips—he can’t scold Junmyeon. Therefore, he glowers at Yifan some more, who pouts at being falsely accused. They rush inside and before they can head to the hall, Minseok turns to Junmyeon, “Okay, doctor, speak only when they speak to you and try to be clear. And don’t fuck up.”

“Got it!” Junmyeon is not going to lie, he is nervous. He never imagined a day like this would come. Yifan places a hand on the small of his back and pushes him along, and Junmyeon is grateful because he would have otherwise bolted.

They enter the hall and a million camera flashes nearly blind him. Yifan moves and blocks him, and Minseok clears the way for them. They walk up to the raised platform and take their seats behind a table with more than two dozen mikes attached to it. Another person joins them, a well-dressed, short woman in her mid-thirties takes a seat on Yifan’s right. As soon as they sit down, the reporters point at him and start whispering amongst themselves. Junmyeon wonders what is that about. He looks between Minseok and Yifan, hoping they would enlighten him. Then, to his utmost horror, someone in the crowd asks, “So Mr Wu, did you call this press con to introduce us to your new boyfriend?”

Junmyeon nearly squeals and he was close to stand up and give the reporter a piece of his mind if Minseok didn’t have a death grip on his wrist. The woman leans closer to the mike and says, “Alas, that is not so. We are here for something more serious. Yifan?”

Yifan nods and speaks, “This is Dr Kim Junmyeon and he is not my boyfriend. He is an old friend and currently we are sharing legal responsibilities for the children of our late friends.”

As soon as the words leave Yifan’s mouth, the buzz in the room gets louder. Minseok and the woman choose reporters, and they ask questions, which Yifan answers. A few people direct their questions at Junmyeon as well and he tries his best. At answering each question without messing up, Minseok pats his arm. Then suddenly someone asks, “Can we believe you are a doctor? You are good-looking enough to be an idol yourself!”

Junmyeon gets shocked by the question and starts blushing. The woman laughs, “I can guarantee Dr Kim is truly a doctor and not a rookie at the company.” Some of the reporters laugh along, and ten minutes later, they finally start to leave and Junmyeon heaves a sigh of relief. He never, ever wants to do anything like this again.

Minseok pats his back when the hall clears. “You did great Dr Kim, I am proud.”

“Haha,” Junmyeon laughs weakly. “I am glad I am alive.”

The woman chuckles. “You did very well, despite this being your first time. Oh, I am Kim Taeyeon, CEO of the agency.” She offers him a hand that he takes and they shake hands.

“Nice to meet you,” Junmyeon says.

“Well, then I am off. Take care of yourself Yifan, and you too Dr Kim. I have children myself and I understand how hard it can get.” She gets up and the men follow. They bow at her as she leaves.

Minseok slumps down on the seat and grins, “That went well, except for the way everyone just assumed Dr Kim is your boyfriend.”

Junmyeon frowns and says, “I would stab myself and then pour acid on my wounds to prove how much I would never want to be Wu’s _anything._ ”

Minseok raises his eyebrows at the very vivid description and his eyebrows rise higher still when Yifan snorts, “Don’t worry Kim, I would cut my own dick off before anyone can even assume.” Minseok bites down on his lip to stop laughing because the men are now staring at each other and their glares are so strong that if both of them spontaneously combusted, he wouldn’t be surprised.

 

Next morning, Junmyeon’s phone blows up from calls and messages from his friends and family. His parents already knew, but they didn’t expect to see him on television, so that got them all excited and talking about how Yifan is much more handsome now. Seokjin, Sooyeon and few of his other friends from work were equally curious and he knows the moment he steps inside Asan today, he will be bombarded with a million questions.

The children head back to school today. From his room, he can hear Sunny getting Junseo and Junhyung ready for preschool. Junseo is trying to convince the woman to let him wear his Superman cape to school. He hears another voice, and he knows it is Yifan. He smiles as Yifan tries to convince Junseo he can play superhero later. By the time he steps outside, Junmyeon bursts out laughing as a bare-chested Junseo covered in his cape runs down the corridor again with Sunny and Yifan following him. Yifan halts when he sees Junmyeon standing by his room. He pants, “Can we talk?”

Junmyeon shrugs. Yifan tilts his head, gesturing to head downstairs. They enter the kitchen and Yifan gets the coffee going. Junmyeon gets himself some bread and a jar of peanut butter. As he waits by the toaster, Yifan says, “So, um, are you sure you want me to go?”

Junmyeon raises his eyebrows. Last night, after dinner, he told Yifan about Namjoon and the latter agreed with his plans. “Why do ask that?”

“Just, you are better with her.” Yifan looks sheepish as he pours the coffee into two cups. He adds a spoonful of sugar to Junmyeon’s cup and hands it to him.

Junmyeon takes the cup and he is trying _so_ hard to not show his surprise. One, Wu fucking Yifan made him coffee; two, he even remembered the amount of sugar he takes in his coffee; and three, he is doubting himself. Did the sun rise from the west or something? He shakes his head as his neck heats up. “No, you are not that bad at with her either.”

Yifan snorts. “You are a doctor for kids, you know what you are doing. I am just doing what feels right.”

Junmyeon turns around as the toaster pops up. He fishes out his toast and he is glad he has to do something, rather than face Yifan when he says, “That’s fine too. Just bring her over after school, I will be waiting for you outside.”

“Okay.” Junmyeon grabs the peanut butter jar, only to realise he didn’t grab a butter knife. Yifan wordlessly passes him one and as Junmyeon takes it, their fingers brush lightly. Yifan chuckles, “Look at us, we are actually peaceful.”

Junmyeon spreads the peanut butter on his bread and smiles. He says, “Well, I guess it was time.”

Yifan sips his coffee and asks, “Time?”

“To,” Junmyeon takes a bite of his toast and chews carefully as he thinks about the right thing to say. They cannot deny that they are different people at this moment. Sure, there always will be reasons to pick at each other, but Junmyeon knows that the people they have lost have brought them together in ways they could never have imagined. And maybe it is time to grow up. “To bury the hatchet?”

Yifan regards the floor for a while and mulls over what Junmyeon said. Their antagonism _is_ juvenile and they are now responsible for three small children who need them. They need to change not for themselves, but for others. So, he picks up his head and says, “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

Junmyeon smiles as he finishes his breakfast. He dusts away the stray crumbs stuck to his shirt. He laughs, “Though it is a long road to be friends, we can start by learning how to tolerate each other?”

Yifan chuckles, “Yeah, we can start by there.”

“Okay then, Wu, see you later.”

As Junmyeon walks out of the kitchen, an odd lightness fills Yifan’s being and he wonders why.

 

At four-thirty, Junmyeon gets a message from Yifan that he is coming to Asan in fifteen minutes or so. Fortunately, Junmyeon’s next patient doesn’t arrive till six, so he decides to make his rounds. He will be back on ward duty soon, and he will still see outgoing patients but not so much. Honestly, he prefers clinic duty; most children in the wards are here due to terminal cases and it breaks his heart every time a bed gets vacated. Luckily, this time, his two ward patients are just broken bones and appendicitis, so he heads down to pay them a visit.

He first visits Koo Junhoe, who fell down from a tree and broke his right arm and leg. He also managed to chip his front tooth, so his toothy smile warms Junmyeon’s heart as he shouts, “Dr Kim! Why didn’t you visit me for so long?”

Junmyeon ruffles his hair and says, “Sorry kid, I had to take some time off.”

Junhoe pouts, “I thought you had forgotten about me.”

Junmyeon gasps, “What? I would never!”

Junhoe’s mother soon arrives and he talks to her regarding his recovery and discharge date. He leaves the Koo family and heads down to visit his other patient. He is in Jennie Kim’s room, conversing with her father about check-ups and diets when he gets a missed call from Yifan. He quickly excuses himself and runs towards the entrance. Sometimes, he is so glad the paediatric ward is on the first floor. He skips elevators and takes the stairs; and as he runs towards the gates, he finds Yifan standing with a slightly scared Jihyun hiding behind his leg.

Junmyeon stops in front of Yifan and wheezes. “Sorry, I was with a patient.”

Yifan nods, his face covered with the ubiquitous mask and sunglasses. “I get it. Oh, here.” Junmyeon didn’t notice the bag he was holding, which he gives to Junmyeon. “We took a break at a café, and I, we, thought to get you something.”

Jihyun smiles up at Junmyeon. “We got you matcha buns.”

Junmyeon smiles. “Well, thank you…to both of you.” His cheeks heat up and Yifan looks equally flustered as he murmurs, “Jihyun chose it.”

Junmyeon takes Jihyun’s hands and they walk towards the elevators. Namjoon’s clinic is on the third floor and the elevator is full, but the three of them manage to squeeze into a corner. Yifan’s back hits the wall and Junmyeon has no option but to stand super close to him with Jihyun tightly clasped in his hand. He presses the bag of matcha buns to his chest and tries to not think _too_ much about how close Yifan is (the man is basically breathing down his neck).

Yifan swallows as Junmyeon stands too close to him. Soon, Junmyeon recognises someone in the lift and they start conversing, and _did Junmyeon’s hair always looked this soft?_ Not like he wants to touch it to satisfy his curiosity or anything. Soon, they reach the third floor and without really thinking about it, he grabs Junmyeon’s wrist and uses his height to move people out of the way.

Junmyeon is talking to his colleague when he realises they have arrived at their floor. Since they were at the very back, he knew he would end up elbowing people to get out. Then to his complete surprise, he feels long fingers curling around his wrist and dragging him outside. He is lucky he managed to keep his hold on both Jihyun and his bag of sweet treats. When they are outside, Yifan still hasn’t relinquished his grip and turns around to ask, “Where to?”

Junmyeon points to his left and looks down at his wrist. Yifan follows his gaze and starts blushing as he quickly lets go of Junmyeon’s wrist and shoves his hand into his pocket. “Show us the way Dr Kim.”

Junmyeon starts walking and Jihyun asks in a soft voice, “Uncle Junmyeon?”

“Hm?”

“Is the doctor a nice man?”

“He is the nicest man I know Jihyun,” Junmyeon grins.

“Okay.”

Junmyeon looks around at Yifan who nods his head, silently encouraging him. In the morning, Yifan had dropped Jihyun school and told her en route that they were going to see a man who could help with her bad dreams. At first, Jihyun seemed unsure, but she trusts her uncles, so she agreed. She doesn’t know what awaits her, but if Junmyeon says Dr Kim is nice, then she chooses to believe him.

Namjoon is waiting for Junmyeon outside his clinic, and he grins when he spots them. Jihyun bravely steps forward and introduces herself, “My name is Ahn Jihyun.”

Namjoon kneels and smiles, “And I am Dr Kim Namjoon, but you can call me by my name.”

Jihyun nods. Namjoon straightens up and his eyebrows rise as he stares at the tall man behind Junmyeon in dark sunglasses and face mask. He extends his hand, “I take you are the bane of Junmyeon hyung’s existence, Mr Wu Yifan? My fiancé is a huge fan of yours.”

Yifan eyes Junmyeon, but he shakes Namjoon’s hand anyway. Well, Junmyeon is entitled to discuss his life with whoever he wants. He takes off his mask and smiles. “Please take good care of Jihyun.”

“That’s my duty sir. Now, my receptionist will give you some papers to sign and I will talk to Jihyun alone in the meantime? You can join us if you want.”

Junmyeon looks at Yifan and says, “You can go with Jihyun, I will handle the paperwork.”

Yifan shakes his head, he trusts Junmyeon with Jihyun after all and if Junmyeon trusts Namjoon, then he got no issues. Namjoon and Jihyun go to the doctor’s office while Junmyeon greets the receptionist. A short man with small eyes beams up at Junmyeon, “Hey hyung!”

“Hi Jimin, did Namjoon leave the forms for me?” Junmyeon asks.

“Yeah, he did,” Jimin shuffles some through some papers on his desk and hands the correct ones to Junmyeon. He looks up at the stranger beside Junmyeon and his eyes widen when he recognises him. “Oh my god, are you Wu Yifan?”

Yifan smirks as he takes off his sunglasses. “Yep.”

“Oh my lord, I am such a huge fan!” Jimin gets to his feet and shakes Yifan’s hand. “Oh my god, can I have a picture with you?” Yifan agrees and Jimin skips around his desk with his phone in his hand. Junmyeon gets tasked with taking the photo and he presses his lips together, feeling slightly annoyed. Jimin does the V fingers, which Yifan mimics. Junmyeon takes two pictures and hands the phone back to Jimin.

Yifan says to Jimin, “Um, can you do us a favour? I know you are dying to show these pictures to your friends, but can you not, like not right now? I don’t want people to know that I am here with Jihyun. It would bring unnecessary attention on her.”

Junmyeon’s heart swells with an undefined emotion when he sees how deep Yifan’s concern is for Jihyun. Jimin too, looks on with much admiration. Like every Yifan fan, he too is aware of the news that got released last night. He even annoyed his boss for confirmation. So, he nods, “Of course, I understand. I will not post any pictures on my SNS, I promise.” He bows and Yifan pats his back (Jimin nearly swoons at that).

Junmyeon sits down on one of the plush chairs in the reception area and Yifan follows. They sit silent for a few minutes with Junmyeon filling up the forms. Suddenly Junmyeon mutters, “I sometimes forget you have another life out there.”

“The curse of fame,” Yifan chuckles as he leans forward, his elbows on his knees.

“You were always famous Wu,” Junmyeon grins. “Remember your fan club in high school?”

Yifan laughs. “Will I ever forget that!”

“Jiyeon and her gang would follow you _everywhere_!”

“Well, at least her gang trained me on how to run and hide from people! It is an extremely handy skill to have when paparazzi and fans follow you.”

Junmyeon and Yifan start reminiscing about some of their high school days and time passes as they laugh about some particularly hilarious memories. An hour passes, and they realise it only when Namjoon’s office door opens and Jihyun steps out with a small smile on her face. She joins her uncles and they thank Namjoon profusely. They discuss further appointments and decide on every Wednesday at five.

They are walking towards Junmyeon’s office (Junmyeon still has two more hours of duty) when Yifan asks, “Um, you didn’t ask Namjoon about Jihyun.”

Junmyeon smiles, “I am not supposed to. Namjoon isn’t a normal doctor, he is a therapist and patient-doctor confidentiality is crucial for them than for other doctors like me. However, Jihyun is a minor, so we can ask Namjoon for any improvements or not.”

Yifan nods. They are at Junmyeon’s office and Jihyun pouts, “You won’t come home with us?”

“No,” Junmyeon ruffles her hair. “I will be home soon.”

Suddenly Yifan leans closer, and puts his mouth close to Junmyeon’s ear. “Let’s talk about Jihyun’s birthday tonight?”

Junmyeon clutches the pastry bag close to his chest as he tries to not shiver too much as Yifan’s deep baritone resonates in his head. He nods his head and Yifan moves back. They say their goodbyes and Junmyeon watches them leave. He finds himself smiling at the adorable height difference between Yifan and Jihyun. The child is nearly one-fourth of Yifan’s entire height. He scratches the back of his neck and looks down at the bag in his hand.

Yifan knows about his favourite pastry. Somehow, it makes Junmyeon happy.


	7. Chapter 7

A few days pass, and on the morning of Jihyun’s birthday, Yifan and Junmyeon surprise the girl in the morning with her favourite cake. Jihyun smiles brightly with her sleep-caked eyes. Her brothers help her blow the seven candles on her cake. Sunny prepared her favourite breakfast of pancakes. Later, they all get ready and head for the amusement park. Two days ago, Junhyung and Junseo let pass how much Jihyun wanted to visit the newly opened amusement park and the two men instantly decided to take her there. They also reckoned an outing will be good for the twins as well. Taecyeon follows them in another car.

The amusement park launched a few weeks ago, and despite being a weekday is fairly packed. Yifan quickly dons his mask and glasses. Junmyeon shakes his head in pity, wondering how trapped Yifan must feel that he can’t even walk around freely like everyone else. They head towards the ticket counter while Taecyeon discreetly follows.

Junmyeon grabs the twins while Yifan holds on to Jihyun. Sunny dressed up her up in the lavender tunic Junmyeon got her and with her lace socks and buns on either side of her head, he realises how much like her mother she looks like. The loss of his friend pains him anew and he halts suddenly. Yifan notices and raises one thick eyebrow at him. Junmyeon shakes his head and mutters, “Jihyun looks so much like Soohyun sometimes, doesn’t she?”

Yifan looks down at Jihyun who fortunately hadn’t heard her uncle’s words. He sees the resemblance as well and with his free hand grabs Junmyeon’s elbow. The day is hot, so Junmyeon is wearing a t-shirt and Yifan’s cool touch results in goosebumps to rise on his skin. He murmurs, “Yeah, she does.”

Junmyeon raises his head and Yifan’s gentle gaze surprises him, and it makes him feel warm under his skin. Yifan understands, of course he does. No one else on earth would understand what Junmyeon feels. His lips slowly curl into a smile and he is about to say something when Junseo and Junhyung scream, having found which ride they want to get on first. Yifan tears his hand away and looks away, clearly flustered and Junmyeon tries to calm the twins down. His heart pounds and he wants to not feel strange every time Yifan touches him.

Even though it is Jihyun’s day, the twins are the captains. They decide which rides to go on, and Jihyun doesn’t mind. Instead, it warms both Yifan and Junmyeon’s heart to see Jihyun smiling and laughing freely. She plays along with her brothers and happily poses for Junmyeon when he takes photographs of them. Yifan makes his way into some of the photographs as well; and Taecyeon makes his appearance and takes a picture of five of them. In one of the pictures, Yifan throws his arms around Junmyeon’s shoulder and the latter forgets to look directly at the camera.

Jihyun is skipping in front of them when she spots the pirates’ ship. Yifan pales a little when Jihyun asks, “Can we go on it?”

Junmyeon notices the look of fear on Yifan’s face and he smirks when he remembers the last time Yifan went on a pirates’ ship (it involved screaming, crying and later dry retching). Yifan says, “Hey, you sure? It is plenty scary.” Junmyeon claps a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

Jihyun pouts, “Uncle Yifan please?” Then adding to Yifan’s misery, Junseo and Junhyung too start requesting and Yifan knows he cannot win this battle. He nods his head and sends Junmyeon a pleading look, who simply grins back. Yifan grunts and gives up.

The line is pretty long but they manage to get five tickets and head over to the ride. The staff tell them not to stand while the ride is on and so on while Junmyeon eyes Yifan, who keeps getting paler by the second. The children, however, are very excited, and maybe Junmyeon is too since the last time he came to an amusement park was probably when he was seventeen or eightteen years old. The ride starts, and at first, the rocking is gentle. Then gradually it picks up speed. The twins squeal in delight and hold on to their noona, while Yifan quickly grabs the person closest to him, that is, Junmyeon.

Junmyeon looks down at his hand, now dwarfed by Yifan’s hand. The taller man’s knuckles are white and Junmyeon feels like his bones might break anytime now. He winces, but slowly he pries Yifan’s hand off him and turns his hand palm up, so Yifan could lace his fingers through his. Yifan has his eyes tightly shut as his insides jostle, so he hardly registers what Junmyeon is doing. Junmyeon though watches how seamlessly Yifan’s longer fingers fit through his shorter ones. It does feel painful, because Yifan is literally holding onto Junmyeon with his dear life; but Junmyeon remains amazed at the differences in their hands and the way they fit to even register the pain.

His pulse speeds up and he feels strange. He wants to take his hand away, he wants to leave the ride and stay away from Yifan for some time. But then, the ride accelerates some more and Yifan curses in Mandarin before pressing his face into Junmyeon’s shoulder, whose head swivels and the first thing he gets is the soothing smell of conditioner. Yifan is _too_ close, and Junmyeon cannot even push him away. Most probably, Yifan doesn’t even know what he is doing.

Thankfully, after six minutes, the ride stops and Yifan slowly lifts his flushed face. He takes a deep breath and tries to keep the bile down. He looks beside him to find Junmyeon staring intensely at something. He follows his gaze and he inaudibly gasps when he notices the way his fingers are crushing Junmyeon’s smaller hand. He quickly releases Junmyeon’s hand and they are red and he really hopes he didn’t break any bones. He mutters, “I am—”

Junmyeon gulps and shakes his head, “Don’t mention it.”

Yifan frowns and stops apologising. Was Junmyeon extremely offended by what he did? Or hurt? Is that why he does not want to hear any apologies? The ride stops and people are whooping and shouting; the five of them get down from the ride and Yifan has this sudden urge to just grab Junmyeon’s hand and check for any damage. However, before he can do anything, the world shifts and he feels like his organs just rearranged themselves. He stumbles and bends over as his stomach twists.

Small, warm hands rub his back and he hears Jihyun’s concerned voice, “Uncle Fan, are you okay?”

Yifan gives her a thumb up, but doesn’t speak. He hears Junmyeon chuckling, “Uncle Fan always has been terrible with pirate ships. The last time…” He launches into the last time they went on a pirate’s ship with Soohyun and Changsun, which ended rather terribly—mostly for Yifan.

Yifan straightens up and sends Junmyeon the dirtiest look, to which, the latter just smirks in response. The amusement park episode of circa 2007 is a taboo topic for Wu Yifan and Junmyeon knows it only too well. He had scored a small modelling contract prior to the outing and thanks to his “manhwa boy” looks, he had received plenty attention from the demography of high school girls who didn’t wait to set up fansites dedicated to him in record time. To his dismay, that day, as he threw up his lunch on a stranger’s shoes, one of his fansites were present and they took a video that didn’t take much long to become viral. That year was terrible; lots of casting directors didn’t take him on and his fansites got flooded by people mocking him severely. Considering this was pre-Twitter era, the video soon got lost and people forgot, but Yifan didn’t forget the humiliation.

Yifan grits his teeth and vows to take revenge for this. He puts on a smile and plays along with the children. Junmyeon, having successfully annoyed Yifan, does not pay the latter any attention. Soon, lunchtime arrives, and the kids are grumbling, clearly hungry after running around all day. Taecyeon spots a fast food restaurant for them and they all head inside. Despite asking Taecyeon to sit with them, he refuses and leaves them alone. They order their food and when their orders arrive, to Yifan’s greatest delight, Junmyeon excuses himself to take a call. Yifan quickly distracts the children and proceeds to dump half the salt shaker in Junmyeon’s vanilla milkshake. Sure, this is juvenile, but Junmyeon wasn’t being very nice to him earlier either.

Junmyeon returns to their table and notices nothing as he eats his food. It is only when he gets to his milkshake that he realises something is _very_ wrong. He gags as the seemingly sweet liquid turns salty in his mouth. The milkshake dribble out of his mouth and when he finds Yifan laughing like that is the funniest thing he saw all day, he knows. Anger fills him and he is about to punch something, _someone_ , when the sound of a camera flashing halts him. Judging by how fast Yifan’s gummy smile drops, he heard it too. And that is when they realise…

At least eighty percent of the patrons in the restaurant are pretending like they were not staring at them a few seconds earlier.

Yifan quickly drops a few wons and the adults get to their feet and scowl at each other. He says to the children, “We have to leave.”

Junseo is about to ask why, but Jihyun notes the serious look on her uncles’ faces and she shushes her brothers. She nods and gets to her feet as well. Junmyeon grabs Junhyung, while Yifan grabs Jihyun, who is holding on to her brother. Yifan counts to three in his head and when he nods at Junmyeon, they both start walking out of the restaurant. They hear chairs moving and Yifan curses himself for not trying harder to convince Taecyeon to sit with them. When they are close to the door, Yifan sighs—he can see Taecyeon standing outside at a distance. He pushes open the door, and more chairs move. Yifan knows as soon as they are out through that door, they will be mobbed. So, he turns around to Junmyeon and says, “Start running when we are out of here.” Junmyeon nods and tightens his hold on Junhyung, who is still thoroughly confused at everything right now. Jihyun hears Yifan and holds her brother tighter as well.

Yifan takes a step outside and starts running, keeping his pace slow enough so Jihyun could keep up. From a few yards ahead, Taecyeon sees them running and he rushes forward. He spots the small crowd of people behind them and quickly understands the situation. When he is within hearing distance of Yifan, the latter shouts, “Pick Junseo up!”

As soon as Taecyeon picks Junseo up, Yifan does the same with Jihyun and Junmyeon follows suit with Junhyung. Now, with the children off the ground, the adults pick up their speed and start running for the parking lot. Behind them the screams of Yifan’s name sends a shiver down Junmyeon’s back. He wonders about the kind of a life Yifan leads, and he knows the children aren’t safe like this.

 

It is after midnight when Junmyeon returns home from the hospital. Since he took time off to go to the park with Jihyun, he took the night shift. He is bone tired but when he finds Yifan in the living room, he quietly enters. Yifan was reading a book when he hears Junmyeon enter, who instantly scowls. “We need to talk.”

Yifan puts down the book and nods. Junmyeon puts his bag down and keeps standing. “I am mad at you, not only for the salt in my milkshake but also at what happened afterwards.”

Maybe it is his imagination, but Junmyeon thinks he saw Yifan looking guilty for a second. But then his stony expression is back as he says, “We got out of it.”

“Yes!” Junmyeon marches in, his hands fisted at his side. Sure, they got out of it. But then the twins started wailing when they got to their car. They were sufficiently spooked by what happened and even though Jihyun didn’t show it, she was equally scared. And somewhere, deep down so was Junmyeon. “But with you the kids will never be safe!”

Yifan gets to his feet. “What do you mean? I have a bodyguard and round-the-clock security!”

“That’s not enough Wu! Today was just the beginning! And don’t think I won’t use today’s incident in a year when I fight for their sole custody!”

Yifan’s eyes widen. “I’d like to see you try.”

Junmyeon scoffs and his voice is dripping in venom when he says, “Don’t try to show your money and power to me now Wu. I can get the best lawyers as well, and you know it.”

“Fine then, Kim.” Yifan says nothing as he stomps out of the room with his hands shaking in suppressed rage. Fine, if Junmyeon wants a fight, he will give it to him. The year is just an excuse to collect enough evidence to bring each other down, or so Junmyeon thinks. Well, Yifan wouldn’t stop him and maybe he should start doing the same. They were supposed to be in this together, but looks like they aren’t.

 

The next few days are tense as Yifan and Junmyeon stop talking to each other, only bothering to speak when the children are around. A day after the incident, Junmyeon got hounded by the press and fangirls outside his hospital. Thankfully, Sooyeon and the hospital’s security managed to get him inside. However, social networking sites don’t care for physical barriers and soon he found articles floating around about the park outing, some people going so far as to call it “Superstar Wu Yifan playing house with cute doctor?”

Articles like those made Junmyeon blood boil with rage. Do people only notice such things? Is human tragedy nothing? Or the concept of privacy? The three children lost their parents and two people with no experience of parenthood are responsible for them. But sure, they focus on “superstar” Yifan and him “playing house” with Kim Junmyeon. They focus on their superstar and his sudden status quo change. Who cares about the other non-famous person or the minors who need to be protected, their faces and identities should not be splayed across the internet. Junmyeon even found an article highlighting Jihyun’s clothes and calling how precious she looked, and they even managed to find where Junmyeon bought it from. It made him mad, how easily his privacy got invaded, how easily his gift for Jihyun is now an article about ‘How to dress up your daughter for summer: learn from Wu Yifan’.

It didn’t stop on SNS. Some doctors and interns he never even met started bothering him in corridors, in elevators and on his rounds. He wanted to shout that no, his life isn’t fun. He lost his friends, he has to take care of three children and he has to put up with the man he hated (and still hates, _why was he thinking otherwise_?). However, when the last time they talked, Junmyeon meant it when he said he will fight Yifan tooth and nail. No way on earth will he allow Yifan to keep the children with him.

Five days after the fight, Junmyeon rushes into Namjoon’s office to escape an intern who has been badgering him to get Yifan’s autograph for the last two days. Jimin is surprised but when he sees Junmyeon panting, he doesn’t ask anything and silently hands him a cup of water. Junmyeon mumbles his thanks and drinks the water. He asks, “Is Namjoon in there?”

“Yeah, and so is Seokjin hyung,” Jimin grins. “He bought him lunch.”

The door to Namjoon’s clinic opens and Seokjin steps out. His smile is wide when he spots Junmyeon, “I knew I heard voices! Junmyeon!”

His friend comes up to him and hugs him. Seokjin and Namjoon started dating in college and despite being two years younger than Junmyeon, they got along well. Seokjin drags him inside and Namjoon smiles up at him. Junmyeon tries to smile, but ends up wincing and Namjoon sees right through it. He frowns at Junmyeon and the latter knows that look—he is going to get psychoanalysed. The therapist asks, “Hyung, you okay?”

Seokjin pushes Junmyeon down and grabs a container of food. He says, “Of course he is not. The whole world knows what happened. It is funny, I actually packed lunch for you as well, and I was about to send it through Jimin but you end up here!”

Junmyeon smiles but it doesn’t convince anyone in the room as he takes the container from Seokjin. The younger is a producer at a food television show and is an excellent cook himself, so Junmyeon at least appreciate this. Namjoon puts down his chopsticks, “Hyung, you can talk if you want.”

Seokjin pouts, “Does that mean I need to make myself scarce?”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “No, no, you can stay.” He sighs and continues, “It’s just, I don’t know…about Yifan and the kids. I don’t feel very safe.”

Namjoon smiles kindly, “Imagine how Yifan must feel.”

Junmyeon frowns. “What do you mean?”

Namjoon picks up his chopsticks and says, “Try putting yourself in his shoes. He must have known it was dangerous to step outside since he is such a huge celebrity, but he did. And he tried his best to protect you guys, Jihyun told me so.”

Junmyeon plays with his rice for a second before saying, “But, Namjoon, it was terrible to be chased down.”

Seokjin presses his shoulder and says, “Of course it was hyung. I saw a video and _I_ got scared, so I cannot even imagine, but hey, Yifan probably has to deal with it every day.”

Namjoon nods, beaming at his fiancé for a beat. “Yes, this is Yifan’s life, day in and day out. And you knew that, didn’t you?”

Junmyeon gasps; of course, he did. He knows Yifan has a life very different to his and honestly, he didn’t try to understand what Yifan might have felt that day. He slaps his own head when he realises that the night Yifan stayed up waiting for him, he was probably waiting to apologise to him. And what did Junmyeon do? Picked a fight like always. He groans, “I fucked up.”

Seokjin nods. “Damn right you did. Now, when do I get to meet him? It’s not like I have been obsessed about him for the last few years or so.”

Junmyeon laughs weakly and is about to talk back when his phone rings. He doesn’t recognise the number but he picks it up anyway.

“Hello? Dr Kim? It’s me, Taecyeon!”

“Taecyeon?” Junmyeon gets filled with alarm. “What is it?”

“Junseo had an accident, we are heading for your hospital!”

 

Needless to say, Yifan headed for his shooting today in a foul mood. He actually ended up shouting at his co-star and the poor girl started crying. The director called it a day when the girl couldn’t be consoled. The whole not-speaking thing with Junmyeon is taking a toll on Yifan and he hates it. He marches out of the set to avoid Minseok (he didn’t want to shout at his friend too) and starts wandering around the shooting complex. He passes an ad shooting with some idols and looks at it for a while before becoming bored at the severe lack of any acting skills. He can surmise the director will have an aneurysm sooner than later by the amount of retakes they are taking.

He walks further off and despite trying to not think about it, he ends up thinking how Junmyeon allowed him to hold his hand at the pirate ship. And then took a complete three-sixty degree turn and become enemies again later. That night, he was waiting for Junmyeon to come home, so he could apologise, but then Junmyeon reminded him why they were here in the first place. A year later, either him or Junmyeon can get total custody of the children. Honestly, that had almost slipped Yifan’s mind.

Yifan slowly started to become alone and isolated as his career rocketed. He couldn’t go outside with his friends and finding time to see them became difficult. His mother waited for her son to visit her in China, and every few years he managed to do so. When the day was done, and Minseok and Taecyeon headed home, his large house was ridiculously empty. That’s why he occupied the entire second floor—that way he didn’t have to see the empty rooms and silent corridors. But with Jihyun, Junseo, Junhyung, Junmyeon, and even Sunny, his house didn’t feel empty anymore and it started to feel like a home.

It started to feel like a home when he returns from his jogs and hears the twins causing a ruckus with Sunny shouting after them to get ready for school. It started to feel like a home when he returns from shoots to find the twins waiting for him in the living room to watch the latest episode of the favourite show. It started to feel like a home when Junmyeon would return home before him and be in the kitchen with Sunny making dinner with the children hovering around them. It started to feel like a home when Junmyeon would return home later than him and find them in the living room and he would join them despite how tired he would be.

Yifan gulps as he tries to stop feeling miserable. Junmyeon doesn’t get it, and Yifan understands if he doesn’t. Junmyeon doesn’t live under a microscope like he does; his every move is not observed and judged. He has friends and he can hang out with them whenever he wants; he can live his life how he wants without the fear of what others are going to think. And Yifan just wanted to apologise for whatever happened to them because of him.

He suddenly stops when he finds someone calling for him. He turns around to see Seohyun running to him. She halts and asks, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at floor number five?”

Yifan looks around him, he doesn’t remember being here in this part of the studio. “Where am I?”

“Near floor number twenty, you are plenty far,” Seohyun giggles, but soon gets serious. “I was over there for a photoshoot when I saw you walking by with a prize-winning scowl on your face. Are you thinking about what happened a few days ago?”

She starts rubbing his back and Yifan sighs. “I can’t help it. Kim is mad at me and not talking to me.”

She nods and juts her lower lip out. “Of course, he isn’t. That was his first time being mobbed, who would enjoy that?”

As Seohyun talks, lightning strikes Yifan as he suddenly understands why Junmyeon got so angry. He groans, “Oh fuck, Seohyun.”

Seohyun frowns, but soon realises the reason for Yifan cursing. Her eyes widen as she says, “Don’t tell me you didn’t even try to get why he got mad at you. I mean, who wouldn’t?”

Yifan rubs his face. “He just got scared...shit.”

Seohyun rolls his eyes. “Of course, he did. You have been experiencing this for years, but it is all brand new for Dr Kim. Goodness, you are awfully dense at times.” For effect, she even flicks him behind his ear.

Yifan hisses and rubs his ear. But he doesn’t try countering Seohyun—she was right after all. Suddenly, his phone rings and he recognises the number. “Yes, Sunny?”

“Oh, Mr Wu! Junseo got hurt! We are taking him to Asan!”

“What!”


	8. Chapter 8

Junmyeon leaves his lunch behind and with a rushed explanation to his friends, runs downstairs (he skips elevators once again). He paces for almost half an hour at the entrance when he finally recognises Taecyeon’s black SUV rolling into the driveway. He doesn’t wait for them to get to him as he runs down the stairs and towards the car. Sunny gets down from the car with Junseo in her arms; and for some reason, so does Junhyung. As soon as Junseo sees Junmyeon, he grins and the latter notices his left arm is pressed to his chest with a bloody tea towel wrapped around it. His eyes widen as he comes closer; there seems to be a small cut over his eyebrow as well. He looks at Sunny, “What happened?”

“I went to pick him and Junhyung up from school. But when I got there I couldn’t find them, but some of their friends told me they went to the canal behind their school. When I got there, I saw Junseo crying on the ground with Junhyung trying to calm him down,” Sunny explained.

“Junhyung told me what happened,” Taecyeon says. “They followed a puppy to the canal and somehow Junseo tripped and fell. He cut his hand on the wires most probably.”

Junmyeon’s blood drains out of his face. He only hopes the wound doesn’t get too infected. He ushers them inside and takes them to an empty operating theatre on the ground floor. He calls for Sooyeon, who takes one look at the situation and quickly heads out to get the right supplies. Meanwhile, Junmyeon politely asks Junhyung and Taecyeon to leave. He fishes out his spectacles before moving on to gently remove the towel and winces when he sees that the cut is quite deep; Junseo will need stitches, no doubt about that. He apologises to Junseo as he puts on some gloves and starts to clean the wound with distilled water. Junseo hisses and cries, and Sunny tries to comfort him.

Sooyeon returns soon with stitching supplies, local anaesthesia and a vial of tetanus. She places the things in order on the surgery table and greets Sunny. She too comes forward to distract Junseo so Junmyeon could work. Luckily, Junmyeon has a very light touch and as he injects the anaesthesia, Junseo hardly notices it. He waits for a while to allow the anaesthesia to work as he gently berates Junseo but also tells him how glad he is that his accident wasn’t too serious. Sooyeon quickly puts on gloves as well as she moves to assist Junmyeon. Sunny tells Junseo to look elsewhere and tells him a story as Junmyeon and Sooyeon start closing up the wound.

After thirty minutes, and fifteen stitches later, Junmyeon is done. Sooyeon wraps Junseo’s hand in gauze while Junmyeon pulls Junseo into his embrace, finally heaving a sigh of relief. He says, “You were very brave kid.”

“Papa always told me to be brave! I am two minutes older than Junhyung after all!” Junseo smiles.

Junmyeon cups his face and plants a kiss on his temple. He remembers the small scratch on Junseo’s head. He asks Sunny, “Hey, can you put some medicine over this? I need to give him the tetanus shot.” Then he looks at Junseo, “Okay, Junseo, I need you to be brave one more time, can you do that?”

Junseo nods his head vigorously. Junmyeon smiles and eyes Sooyeon who brings out the syringe and prepares the tetanus shot. Sunny gently moves Junseo’s head again and starts cleaning the small wound on his temple. Meanwhile, Sooyeon wraps the elastic around his left forearm. Junmyeon manages to find the vein easily enough and pushes in the tip of the syringe. Junseo hisses a little and tears collect in his eyes. Junmyeon says some encouraging words and Sunny rubs the back of his head. Even Sooyeon joins in distracting Junseo, and Junmyeon injects the shot in and slowly pulls out. He presses a cotton pad over it and smiles, “See, was that too hard?”

Junseo juts his lower lip out. “A little, but I am a big boy.”

“Yes!” Junmyeon laughs as he ruffles his hair. “Yes, you are!”

The door to the theatre bursts open and Yifan steps in. Junseo’s eyes light up as he shouts, “Fanfan!”

Junmyeon turns around and behind Yifan, he sees Minseok, Taecyeon and Junhyung. However, Yifan halts when his eyes meet Junmyeon’s. They stare at each other for a beat, their tongues lying heavy in their mouths with their apologies. But they say nothing, since this is not the right moment. Yifan moves in and hugs Junseo. Junhyung clambers on to the bed and pokes at the bandage around his brother’s hand. Junseo hisses and tries to swat his brother away with his uninjured hand. He says, “What are you doing?”

“Did it hurt?” Junhyung asks.

Junseo giggles, “Nope! Moonmoon knows magic! It hurt very, very little!”

Minseok smiles, “Well, Moonmoon is a very good doctor then, isn’t he?”

Sooyeon chuckles, “Oh yes, the kids love him.”

Junmyeon blushes as he ducks his head and takes off his glasses. Yifan looks at the way Junmyeon’s nape becomes pink in embarrassment. He smirks, despite being obnoxious and over-achieving, Junmyeon was—and still is—deathly embarrassed when people compliment him to his face. He shakes his head and sits down beside Junseo. He ruffles the boy’s hair and asks, “You okay?”

Junseo leans into Yifan’s side and yawns. “Yup. The injection hurt more though.”

Yifan looks at Junmyeon, who answers, “I had to give him a tetanus shot, he might have cut his hand on metal after all.” Then he looks at Sunny and grins, “Well, I don’t have to tell you what to do.”

Sunny giggles as she cups the back of Junseo’s head. “Yup!”

Minseok walks up to them and asks, “So, we can go home now doc?”

Junmyeon smiles, “Yes. Come on, I will walk all of you out.” He gets to his feet and feels a tugging on his coat. He looks down to see Junhyung frowning up at him. “What is it Junnie?”

“Moonmoon won’t come home with us?” the child asks.

Sooyeon chuckles, “Well, _Moonmoon_ has work kid.” Junmyeon rolls his eyes when he realises Sooyeon now knows his nickname. Great, no end to her teasing now.

They are walking down the corridor. Taecyeon carries Junseo while Sunny holds on to Junhyung. Yifan and Minseok are walking behind Junmyeon before Minseok suddenly overtakes Junmyeon and joins Taecyeon. Junmyeon’s heart thuds when he realises what is going to happen next. Yifan joins him and says, “Uh, we need to talk.”

Junmyeon ducks his head and his cheeks heat up. “I know. Uh, can we do it after work?”

“Yeah, sure. I will have to head back to shooting as well,” Yifan says as he scratches his neck. “Um, hey, what about the stitches? Where do I pay for the bill?”

Junmyeon laughs. “Don’t worry. It’s free—our hospital has a provision for treatment of family members of employees.”

Yifan grins. “Okay, then. See you tonight.” Junmyeon nods and Yifan walks down the stairs. Suddenly, he halts and turns around to smile up at Junmyeon. He turns his head and follows the rest of them to the parking lot, leaving Junmyeon standing there trying to decipher what that smile meant.

 

Yifan looks at the clock and frowns. Junmyeon doesn’t have the night shift today, he should have been home by eight, but now it was near to eleven. Adding to that, Junmyeon’s phone kept ringing and ringing when he called. He gets a little bit worried and starts pacing the room. He had brought a book down with him but it didn’t keep the thoughts of something bad happening to Junmyeon at bay.

Suddenly, fifteen minutes to midnight, the doorbell rings. Yifan runs out of the living room and opens the door. Junmyeon eyes widen when he sees Yifan opening the door for him. He sheepishly says, “Have you been waiting?”

Yifan scratches his neck, and by now, Junmyeon is sure that he does that to mask his nervousness. Junmyeon makes him nervous now? Yifan says as he moves aside to let Junmyeon in, “Yeah, you are late though. Did something happen?”

Junmyeon steps in and his smile is tired when he says, “Yeah. At the last moment, a family of four came though the ER. I had to operate on the youngest kid. The bones in her leg were completely smashed.”

“Oh. Are they okay now?”

“Yeah.”

They are at the bottom of the stairs when they realise they are talking to each other, normally and without anyone around for the first time in a week. The silence looms large between them and Yifan clears his throat to dispel it, “Um, did you have your dinner?”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “Nope,” even though his stomach protests, he says, “I’d like a shower first.”

Yifan can see the exhaustion all over Junmyeon’s face and body. His heart twists in sympathy and he feels bad for wanting to talk now. “Do you want something to eat afterwards? I can heat some soup for you.”

Junmyeon head turns so fast that he gets whiplash. He blinks at Yifan, wondering why the taller was being so nice to him. He swallows and nods. Yifan smiles and raises his hand, before dropping it. “You go on then. You need to sleep afterwards, we can talk tomorrow.” Junmyeon doesn’t reply as Yifan stalks off towards the kitchen.

Junmyeon watches Yifan’s walk away and a warm sensation fills him from his head to toe. He smiles to himself and walks up to his room. He quickly takes his shower and as the cold water soothes his tired muscles, he nearly falls asleep in the shower stall. But he reminds himself he has to talk to Yifan first. He doesn’t want to drag the silence between them. And even though he knows he cannot take back what he said to Yifan about fighting him, he still wants to do this one year right and wants to do with minimum conflict with Yifan. He doesn’t bother drying his hair, just rubs it with a towel. He puts on his favourite pair of pyjamas and heads downstairs. The wonderful smell of soup has his stomach grumbling in anticipation.

He enters the kitchen and finds Yifan setting the table for him. The absurdity of the situation hits him suddenly. Never in a million years would he have thought he would be seeing the scene of Wu Yifan providing dinner to him. Especially when he remembers food fights from high school. Yifan would pass some comment and Junmyeon would get angry and soon there would be shouting and a nasty exchange of words; and if all this happened during lunchtime, well, Junmyeon never truly apologised to the cafeteria lady for the mess they would make.

Yifan raises his head and finds Junmyeon hesitating at the entrance. Yes, he knows how strange the context is, but if Junmyeon keeps dallying, the food’s going to get cold. He says, “Why are you standing there?”

Junmyeon flushes and hurries in. He sits down and pulls the bowl of hot soup and rice towards him. He is about to shove a spoonful of rice in his mouth when he notices Yifan shifting his weight from one foot to other. He says, “Why aren’t you sitting down? We had to talk, remember?”

Yifan shakes his head. “No, you eat. We can talk later.”

Junmyeon pouts. “No, let’s do it now.”

“Okay,” Yifan sighs and sits down. He picks up a spoon and stares at it for a minute as Junmyeon eats. The silence returns and feels heavier.

Junmyeon puts down his spoon and swallows his food. He says, “I guess I better start…I am sorry for shouting at you. You only tried your best to protect us.”

Yifan shakes his head and says, “No, you were scared and I forgot that you don’t experience such mayhem every other day in your life. I am sorry for not understanding either.”

Junmyeon feels guilty. He _really_ should have not said those things. A year is a long time and he would have crossed that bridge when the time came. But he is aware he messed up. He raises his head and stuffs another spoonful of rice as he tries to string along the right words. Yifan stares at him for a second, before getting to his feet. He says, “I will be in the living room.”

Yifan leaves, and Junmyeon sighs. He doesn’t know if he feels relieved or troubled that he didn’t get to say what he wanted to. He quickly finishes his food and makes up his mind to go finish talking with Yifan. He puts the dirty dishes in the sink and walks towards the living room, the door to which is wide open. He peeks in and finds Yifan reading. He asks in a low voice, “Can I come in?”

Yifan raises his head and nods. Junmyeon sits down beside him and peeks at the book on Yifan’s lap. He smirks, “You read Wodehouse?”

Yifan smiles, “I love Wodehouse.”

“Me too!” They share a smile before Junmyeon remembers what he came here for. He yawns and tries to push back the sleepiness as he says, “Yifan?” When Yifan tilts his head to the side, Junmyeon gulps. “I am sorry for saying all that to you too.”

Yifan looks down on his lap and taps the book’s spine. He takes a deep breath and says, “That is inevitable. A year will pass and we will have to meet in a court, we cannot really escape it.”

Junmyeon bites his lip and nods. “I know, it’s just I am sorr—” he yawns again, “I am really sorry anyway.” Wow, where the cushions on this sofa always this comfortable? He sinks in further and pulls his feet to his chest. His head lolls back and he tries to keep his eyes open as the exhaustion finally catches up with him. “I know that I am very petty and mean sometimes and I wish I wasn’t but something about you just brings out the worst in me.” He sleepily giggles and as sleep pulls him down into unconsciousness, the filter between his brain and mouth dysfunctions. “You know, Soohyun once told me why I hate you so much, it’s actually pretty funny…”

Then his eyes close and he mumbles something that Yifan doesn’t catch. However, Kim Junmyeon is knocked out. His head falls back and his mouth opens as he falls deeply asleep in seconds. Yifan shakes his head; why is this man so adamant? They could have continued their conversation tomorrow.

Anyway, he chuckles and tries to wake Junmyeon up. He gently shakes Junmyeon, which doesn’t work and only leads to the latter slumping sideways to his side. Junmyeon wet hair tickles Yifan’s chin as the latter stares dumfounded down at the man now lightly snoring with his head pressed to his torso. He comprehends that Junmyeon is unlikely to wake up, no matter what he does, so he carefully shifts and lays Junmyeon down on the sofa.

As Junmyeon curls into himself, Yifan smiles at how small he is. Junmyeon fists his hands and puts them under his chin. Yifan heads upstairs for a blanket and when he returns, Junmyeon has curled into a more foetal position. He looks so ridiculously diminutive in the large sofa (custom-made to fit Yifan’s height) that it makes Yifan smile some more. He drapes the thin blanket over Junmyeon and he takes a moment to look down at the man.

His skin looks dry and there are impressive dark circles under his eyes. Junmyeon’s wet hair swoops over his brows and without realising it, Yifan leans forward and pushes it away with his fingers. His hand stalls at Junmyeon’s temple and when the latter scrunches his nose, Yifan thinks, _cute._

As soon as the rest of his brain catches up with him, he pulls away his hands as if he touched a flame. His eyes widen as he straightens up. His heart throbs as he asks himself if he really called Junmyeon ‘cute’ in his mind.

He picks up his book and turns off the lights, keeping one small lamp on. He hurries out of the room as the word ‘cute’ keeps echoing in his mind. _Holy shit, what is even going on with his head?_

Yifan leaves earlier than Junmyeon for a shooting at a faraway location, so when the latter wakes up, Yifan is already gone. At first, Junmyeon can’t recognise his surroundings, when he does, he gets embarrassed knowing that he probably fell asleep while he was talking with Yifan. He sits up and as the blanket slides down his body, he frowns. Who put this on him? Yifan? He gets flustered when he wonders if Yifan _did_ put the blanket on him. He gets to his feet and quickly folds the blanket to stop his mind from wandering off.

He has a later shift, so he provides a hand to Sunny as she gets the three children ready for school. He even accompanies Taecyeon to drop all of them to school. He has his breakfast and lazes around for a while before noticing that he has three hours to go. He starts getting ready and after an hour he is ready to leave when the doorbell rings. He gets to the door and when he opens it, the tall, young man with blond hair scowling down at him looks vaguely familiar.

The man though, looks downright hostile as he checks Junmyeon out, from his head to toe. Junmyeon feels uncomfortable at the scrutiny and the thinly veiled contempt. He is about to ask who the man is and what he wants, when the man beats him to it. The man asks, in a contemptuous voice, “What are you?”

Junmyeon is taken aback by the vague, rude question. He blinks and blurts out, “Excuse me?”

The man is dressed in very expensive clothes, Junmyeon can tell. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his designer ripped jeans and scowls, “Oh let me be clear. What the fuck are you to Wu Yifan exactly?”

“And who the fuck are you?”

The man smirks, “I am his boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWIST


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just saying, of all the Kris ships, I could never quite get into Taoris. So it was quite hilarious when most of you started speculating if the "boyfriend" is Tao! Well, surprise? XD

“I am his boyfriend,” the man scoffs. “Or well, currently I am not. We are on a “break” apparently.” He jabs the air angrily as he makes the quotation marks.

Junmyeon’s stomach drops to his stomach. The man in front of him was making very little sense. He frowns, “Just who are you?”

The man frowns. He eyes what Junmyeon is wearing, the simple white shirt and black jeans with his faded sneakers, and scoffs. “Well, looking at you, I wouldn’t expect you to know. I am Oh Sehun and I am a model.”

Looking at the guy’s face and body, Junmyeon should have surmised his occupation. When he mentions he is a model, Junmyeon realises where he had seen the guy before—probably in a magazine somewhere. However, right now, he had enough of it. If he doesn’t leave now, he would be late for work. He raises his chin and crosses his arms. “Listen, what you and Yifan do is none of my business since you have been obviously misinformed. I am not dating him, if that’s what you are worrying about. Now, if you would please move, I have to get to work.” He walks around Sehun and suddenly a hand curls around his elbow and halts him. He frowns up at Sehun and says, “Look if you have any business with Yifan, I will let you know he isn’t here and—”

Sehun smirks, “I am not here for him. I am here for you. I had to come see who you are myself.”

Junmyeon’s frown deepens as he stares in disbelief at Sehun. He collects himself soon after and wrenches his elbow out of Sehun’s grip. He says, “As I said, I am not his lover or anything. If he is cheating on you, I suggest you look elsewhere.” Then he stomps down the porch and on to the driveway. He feels Sehun’s eyes on his back, but he doesn’t care to look behind. His mood for today is sufficiently ruined.

As he gets on the train, he thinks why he is so peeved by this. What Yifan does or who he dates is none of Junmyeons business. But as he watches the scenery rush by, he wonders why he feels so betrayed by Yifan then.

 

Junmyeon’s mood doesn’t change as he goes about his day. Too many times he almost called Yifan to ask him about Sehun, but something held him back every time. He wanders not-so-aimlessly into Namjoon’s office around lunchtime, and thankfully finds his friend there, eating lunch with Jimin. The younger men share their food with him and Jimin asks, “So, how is living with a celebrity like?”

Junmyeon scoffs as he spears a dumpling with his chopstick. “Honestly, not that different. The kids are more taxing than the adult.”

Namjoon says, “Are you sure? Jihyun told me she noticed that you and Yifan weren’t talking to each other.”

Junmyeon pouts. “But we are talking now! I mean come on! And I didn’t think she’d notice.”

Namjoon laughs, “Don’t underestimate her, she is very observant for a seven-year-old.”

Jimin excuses himself as he gets a call. When left alone, Junmyeon finally breaks, “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Namjoon smiles, his eyes gleaming. “I knew you were here for a reason.”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Okay, lovechild of Holmes and Freud.” He waits for Namjoon to stop laughing at his quips, he starts, “So, um, something happened today. In the morning Yifan’s ex paid the house a visit.”

Namjoon frowns. “You okay? Did he threaten you or something?”

Junmyeon drags his teeth over his lip as he shakes his head. “That’s what I didn’t get. But I realised he did come to see me, to, I don’t know, scope out his competition? Even though I am not one?”

Namjoon chuckles, “Okay hyung, I get your point. Now, what is it that is exactly bothering you?”

Junmyeon sighs and rubs his face. “It’s just…I wanted to know this from Yifan and not the brat today? Like we are living together and I don’t know this much about Yifan?”

Namjoon leans back into his chair and smirks. “Or, you are just bothered that Yifan is not single?”

Junmyeon gets surprised by Namjoon’s comment. He asks, “What do you mean?”

Namjoon leans forward. His face is all serious when he asks, “Tell me something honestly.” When Junmyeon nods, he continues, “You have known Yifan for a long time, yes? And he is a very attractive man. Also, from Jihyun I have also come to know he is extremely caring and nice. Can you honestly say you never had feelings for him besides hatred?”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen and he nearly slips out of his chair. He says, “What kind of bullshit is that? Are you, are you saying _I like him_? Because that is preposterous!”

Namjoon presses his lips and shakes his head. “You are not being very honest with yourself you know.”

Junmyeon gasps as Namjoon says the exact same words that someone else one told him a long time ago.

_Soohyun closes the magazine and grins. “Dating scandals are ridiculous, but they are more ridiculous when you know the person.”_

_Changsun asks, “What do you mean?”_

_Junmyeon picks up the magazine and he finds what got Soohyun so excited._ Is rising star Wu Yifan dating his director? _His eyebrows rise up his forehead as he reads the news. A frown mars his face and it deepens as he keeps reading the article. He knows Wu Yifan, there is no way he could be dating. Changsun and Soohyun would be the first to know, and then from them, he would eventually get to know as well. He puts the magazine down to see Changsun helping Soohyun grab her snacks. She was seven months pregnant with twins. Needless to say, her husband was ten times more paranoid about it than their first pregnancy and hardly let her do anything on her own._

_Junmyeon throws the magazine down on the coffee table and says, a bit more angrily than he had planned, “Is that true though?”_

_Soohyun rolls her eyes, “Oh please. The director did try to hit on him, but Yifan isn’t into that type of men anyway.”_

_Changsun scoffs. “Isn’t he okay with fucking anyone who is willing? And come on this dude seemed very eager.”_

_Junmyeon scowls, “Have some shame. Don’t curse around your kids for fuck’s sake.” He grins and Changsun throws a cushion at him. Soohyun laughs as the late afternoon spills into their house through the gauzy curtains. Junmyeon had a rare Sunday off, so he headed for the Ahn residence as soon as he could._

_Soohyun stops laughing and is rubbing her bump when she smirks, “Anyway Junmyeon, if Yifan did date this director, would you be mad again?”_

_Changsun frowns but he gets what his wife was trying to say, and he turns to face Junmyeon with a matching smirk. “Yeah, Myeon, would it bother you?”_

_Junmyeon looks between his friend with a confused face. He asks, “What do you guys even mean?”_

_Soohyun sighs in exasperation and says, “Seriously Myeon, we have been here before, haven’t we?” When Junmyeon’s confused frown doesn’t clear, she shakes her head, “Remember when Yifan would get a girlfriend or a boyfriend in school? You would complain about it for days!”_

_“So?” Junmyeon spreads his hands. “It was annoying! He would never stop talking about his dates and his fan club would keep bothering us! What was there to not complain about?”_

_Changsun huffs and says, “Myeon, I and Soohyun have been watching you two guys for years. Trust me, sometimes we are stifled by all the tension between you.”_

_“What tension?” Junmyeon gets rattled. “Of course, there is tension, we hate each other. What else do you expect?”_

_Soohyun rolls her eyes again. “We meant sexual tension, you fool.”_

_Soohyun’s words stumps Junmyeon, completely and for a while his brain seizes and he is left with his mouth gaping open like a fish’s. His heart races in his chest and he feels hot all of a sudden under his collar. He regains sense of himself and jolts up from his seat and says, “What!”_

_Changsun shakes his head. “I should probably take photos the next time you guys fight. He can’t stop staring at your lips and you can’t stop staring at his mouth either. Like you rather be exchanging saliva than words!” He laughs and his wife joins him but Junmyeon is livid. How dare they…he picks up his coat and is about to march out of the room when he feels Changsun grabbing his hand. “Hey, wait. Junmye—”_

_Junmyeon pushes Changsun back and his head is pounding. He says, “No, no, no. I don’t see him like that. I hate him, do you understand? The only emotions I have for him is hatred.”_

_From the couch, Soohyun comments in a firm voice, “You are not being very honest with yourself you know.”_

Namjoon watches Junmyeon with concern as the later gets lost in his thoughts. He gets up from his seat and calmly says, even though there is a storm building up inside him, “I know what I feel Namjoon, but thanks for listening to me. See you later.” Junmyeon turns around and his white coat flaps around his leg as he almost runs out of the clinic. When he is out in the corridor, he stops and his heart is racing again and his head is feeling heavy as well.

No, Soohyun, Changsun or Namjoon cannot probably understand what his and Yifan’s problem is. They will not understand that he doesn’t want Yifan that way, he never has. Okay, he acknowledges the fact that Yifan has some good in him—as he has experienced in the last few days—but that doesn’t imply that everything has changed. Years of toxic back and forth cannot be decimated like that. Just because they are under the same roof does not instantly mean that Junmyeon is ready to forgive and forget.

Maybe, he is ready to forgive. But is he ready to forget all the pranks, harsh words and arguments? Not so soon, probably never.

However, a small part in Junmyeon reminds him of the sudden warmth that would fill him whenever Yifan did something nice for him. Or when Yifan would smile that enigmatic smile at him, that would leave him wondering for hours. Or how could he forget the way he shivered when Yifan got so close to him, speaking in his deep voice. Or the way he cared for the children.

“No!” Junmyeon shouts and few people in the corridor look at him strangely. His face reddens in embarrassment and he hurries down the corridor. He finds the backstairs and he sits down on the first step. He clutches his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths.

Damn Wu Yifan, damn him the most. Junmyeon doesn’t need this in his life. He really doesn’t.

 

 By the time Junmyeon returns, Yifan has arrived and he was playing with the kids in the living room in his wet hair and loose white t-shirt. Junmyeon stands at the doorway, watching Yifan laugh and be childish when the twins try to wrestle him. Jihyun helps by dropping on Yifan’s waist and Junmyeon jolts forward when he hears Yifan hissing in pain.

Jihyun quickly crawls down and her eyes are wide in fear as she says, “Uncle Fan, are you okay? I am so sorry!”

Yifan waves her off, but soon finds someone kneeling beside him, with a firm, warm hand on his lower back. He looks to his side and finds Junmyeon regarding him with concern in his eyes. The doctor asks, “Are you okay?”

Yifan nods and says, “Can you bring me the ice pack? It’s in the freezer.”

Junmyeon rushes out of the room and heads for the kitchen. Jihyun is close to tears as she watches Yifan wince in pain. Yifan pulls her to his side as the twins hover with uncertainty around him. Jihyun presses her face to his side and sniffles. Yifan pats the top of her head and says, “Hey, no crying. Your uncle Fan has had this problems for ages. I should have told you okay? It’s my fault, okay? Stop crying.”

Jihyun rubs her face but still looks guilty. Yifan tries to distract her when Junmyeon returns with the ice pack. He kneels beside Yifan again and pulls the hem of his shirt up and puts the freezing pack directly on his skin. Yifan hisses at the sudden cold and Junmyeon chuckles, “Relax, will you?”

“Too cold,” Yifan groans.

“Of course, it is cold you idiot.” Junmyeon scolds him, but his voice holds no anger and Yifan smiles at that. So many things have changed between them, hasn’t it? He looks at Junmyeon with something akin to fondness as the other fusses about him and answers the many questions the twins shoot at him. The sudden fondness surprises him but he tries to hold it back, choosing to just bask in Junmyeon’s unprecedented concern. It was kind of…nice.

When Junmyeon looks up, he finds Yifan smiling that smile of his at him again and he gets flustered. His heartbeat decides to get crazy and he quickly looks away. He finds himself blurting out, “A Oh Sehun came here in the morning.”

The name makes the smile vanish from Yifan’s face and gets replaced by a scowl. He turns to the children and says, “Hey guys, can you leave for a minute, I need to talk to your uncle.”

Jihyun nods and pushes her brothers out. She waves at Yifan with a sad pout, still upset about hurting him. Yifan simply smiles and shakes his head. As soon as she leaves, he gets to his feet and starts pacing. Junmyeon wonders what is going on, and then suddenly Yifan shouts, “Fuck it! I forgot about him…fuck.”

Junmyeon tilts his eyebrow. “You forgot about your boyfriend?”

Yifan looks down at Junmyeon, who is still sitting on the floor. He opens his mouth to explain, but Junmyeon puts his hand up to halt him. He gets to his feet and shakes his head, “Look, I don’t want to know. He is your problem and this is none of my business. Just promise me this won’t affect the kids.”

Yifan opens his mouth before closing it again as he keeps staring incredulously at Junmyeon. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he says, “It won’t.”

“Good,” Junmyeon nods. “That’s all I wanted to know.”

“Really?” Yifan says, and instantly regrets it. He has a sudden urge to explain to Junmyeon, even though he knows the other doesn’t want an explanation. Especially when he remembers all the times Junmyeon chided him from dating and dumping people because he always lost interest.

Junmyeon frowns but doesn’t say anything. He moves towards the door, since he really doesn’t have the strength to fight Yifan right now. He sighs as he looks back at Yifan, “Really what Wu?”

Yifan chuckles mirthlessly, “Nothing, I was really expecting a lecture from you.”

Junmyeon scoffs. “Why would I? You haven’t changed, not one bit. Who forgets about the person they are dating? You are still the same, arrogant and heartless when it comes to others and their feelings.”

Yifan’s eyes widen and he fists his hands. “Right, according to you, I am a playboy.”

“Are you saying you aren’t?” Junmyeon crosses his arms and snorts. “I mean, who forgets something like they are dating someone. It reminds me of the time you decided to fuck with that junior, what was her name? Well, I can’t ask you because you don’t even remember her, do you?”

Yifan’s jaw hardens. He says, “And what are you? My recordkeeper? Who asked you to remember everyone I dated?”

Junmyeon takes a deep breath. Soohyun and Namjoon’s words rush around in his brain and he wants them gone. He fists his hands and almost shouts, “No? I am just used to see you fuck around with people never really caring how they feel? What kind of a person are you Wu Yifan? Do you even have an ounce of empathy in you? Do you even care? So, yeah, excuse me for thinking that you are what you are—an asshole.”

“Like you are so damn perfect all the time!” Yifan shouts. “If you are so god damn perfect, why do your boyfriends keep leaving you for other people?”

Junmyeon gasps and his head swims. For a second, he wonders how Yifan knew about how his last relationship ended, but then he remembers his dearly departed blabbermouth friends. The next moment he feels angry and he knows if he stays for a minute longer, he will regret it. So, he turns around and stomps out of the room. He walks outside and he is not sure where he is going; he only knows he has to leave and he has to be away from Yifan. The other man had no right to remind him of his ex and open the wounds of a failed relationship and nights of crying himself to sleep.

As Junmyeon almost runs out of the room, Yifan rubs his face and sighs. He knows he went too far. He knew how serious Junmyeon got with that ex of his. What was his name again? Yifan is walking towards the kitchen and when he is searching for the bottle of Grey Goose, he remembers. Right, Park Chanyeol. He remembers the guy. He was tall and had strange ears and Junmyeon almost married him before the guy went and cheated on Junmyeon. He remembers how happy and excited Junmyeon was; they even had the venue booked almost. He unscrews the vodka and puts a considerable amount in his tumbler.

But then again, Junmyeon shouldn’t have said all the things he said. He tried with Sehun, he tried. The guy was younger than him and when they met at Paris at the fashion week, they instantly hit it off. When they found themselves in a party in Seoul a few months’ later, one thing led to another and they ended up having sex. However, as Yifan spend more time with Sehun outside a bedroom, he realised they had nothing in common. The sex was great, sure, but besides physical attraction, he felt nothing for him. So, he advised a break, to collect his thoughts, to let Sehun decide if he really wanted to be with him. Yifan is at the point of life where he hopes to settle down someday. And he felt Sehun wasn’t the one. He just didn’t know how to tell it to the guy—and that’s why he wanted an interim. He didn’t plan on Sehun coming here and confronting Junmyeon though.

He takes a long sip of his drink and presses the cold glass to his cheek. He also cannot figure out why he was so eager to explain all this to Junmyeon. But then again, explanations would have been futile, right? Junmyeon has a set idea and nothing would change it…still it doesn’t justify him why he wanted Junmyeon to understand that he and Sehun mean nothing essentially.

 

Junmyeon somehow finds his way to Namjoon and Seokjin’s apartment. He hopes at least one of them is home. To his relief, Seokjin is and he ushers his friend in. When Junmyeon is comfortably seated, he declares, loudly, “I hate Wu Yifan so much!”

Seokjin gets startled and nearly drops the two beer bottles clutched in his hand. He puts them on the coffee table and says, “What did the superstar do now?”

In a tiny voice, Junmyeon says, “He mentioned Chanyeol.”

Seokjin gasps and pulls Junmyeon close by throwing an arm around him. He rubs Junmyeon’s arm as the shorter starts quietly sobbing. Seokjin was witness to the huge mess Chanyeol left behind for Junmyeon three years ago. Seokjin takes a sip of his beer and says, “Okay, superstar went too far.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” Junmyeon says as he wipes his face. He thought he was done with all this crying nonsense. “I hate him.”

“Pfft,” Seokjin pushes a bottle in Junmyeon’s hand, who starts chugging on it like there’s no tomorrow. “You are stronger than this.”

“Am I?” he asks himself than Seokjin. Somewhere deep down inside him, he was hoping Yifan to deny that Sehun was his boyfriend, he was hoping that Yifan had another explanation for him. However, he doesn’t understand why he wanted an explanation in the first place anyway. It is Yifan’s life, so why does it matter to him who he fucks around with?

_“Seriously Myeon, we have been here before, haven’t we? Remember when Yifan would get a girlfriend or a boyfriend in school? You would complain about it for days!”_

No, no, no. Soohyun was not right and Junmyeon doesn’t need her to remind him. He mumbles, “You got something stronger?”

Seokjin thinks for a second before his face splits into a grin, “I haven’t opened the rum yet.”

Junmyeon groans, “Dear lord, open that, I need it!”


	10. Chapter 10

Junmyeon is whole lot tipsy, though not as drunk as he wants to be, even though he definitely drank more than Seokjin. Yet, he lets Seokjin drive him home since the younger is still more sober than him. Also, Seokjin was dying to see Yifan’s house. Junmyeon buckles himself and suddenly asks, “So, did you guys set a wedding date?” Previously, they had been talking about Namjoon and Seokjin’s prolonged engagement. It has been two years since they got engaged and they are yet to do anything about actually getting married.

Seokjin scoffs as he says, “He is busy and I am busy. At this rate, we aren’t getting married before we both retire!”

Junmyeon laughs. “Shit, imagine that. Two grey, wrinkled grooms going down the aisle in their wheelchairs!”

Seokjin laughs, “No, but seriously, we are looking at April next year. Hopefully…”

Junmyeon pats Seokjin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Take your time, I mean no one’s rushing you two. He is busy at the hospital and you are busy with your show.”

Seokjin hums and quiets down. Then the cool air in the car and the rum flowing through his veins soon lulls Junmyeon to sleep. He wakes up when he finds Seokjin calling him. The younger asks, “Okay, we are at the intersection, which side?” When Junmyeon points at the right direction, Seokjin takes the turn. Junmyeon wills himself awake. As much as he hated to return, he knew he had no other choice. Seokjin did offer him the guest room, but he didn’t want to stay, didn’t want to impose on his friends.

The car is stopped at the gates, but when the security sees Junmyeon, they let him through. Seokjin is already thoroughly impressed. He whistles when the house comes into his view. “Dude, if I wasn’t taken, I would volunteer to be Yifan’s sugar baby, no lie.”

Junmyeon chuckles as he fumbles with his seatbelt. Seokjin tuts and stops in front of the porch. He helps Junmyeon and they step outside. Junmyeon stumbles a little and Seokjin rushes around the car to catch him. He wraps a hand around Junmyeon’s waist and shakes his head. “You are going to have a bad hangover.”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes and pushes himself away from Seokjin. The younger laughs and pulls him into his embrace. Seokjin faintly smells like food and coffee and Junmyeon digs his nose into his neck. Seokjin’s hugs are always _so_ stupidly comforting; they can make anyone forget what they were upset about. He mumbles as Seokjin rubs his back, “Thank you. For everything.”

Seokjin laughs and releases Junmyeon. He cups Junmyeon’s face and squishes his cheeks. Junmyeon scowls but let’s Seokjin do what he wants; he is too tired to put up any resistance. Seokjin grins, “Ah hyung, you are welcome to rant to me whenever you want, you know that! Now, go inside and get to bed.” He removes his hand and smooths Junmyeon’s hair. “Good night hyung.”

Junmyeon mumbles his good night as well and waits for Seokjin to drive away before heading inside. The door is open, which confuses Junmyeon but he shakes it off. He gets inside and the first thing he sees is Yifan standing at the top of the stairs with a frown on his face. Junmyeon frowns back and ignores the way his stomach drops at the confrontation that is bound to happen. He walks up the stairs and when he is nearly at the top, he roughly says, “Move Wu.”

Yifan doesn’t budge. He crosses his arms and Junmyeon gulps, because wow Yifan can look pretty intimidating when he wants to. He asks, “Who was that guy you dropped you home?”

Junmyeon frowns. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t care. Just asking,” Yifan still looks mad for some reason. Junmyeon doesn’t get it and it starts to annoy him. Meanwhile, Yifan just wants to know who was that man and why was Junmyeon embracing him like that. “If you can ask about my personal life, so can I.”

Junmyeon frown clears for a moment, and he could be honest with Yifan, but the alcohol has him saying, “Whatever he is, you don’t need to know. Now, let me go to my room. I want to sleep.”

Yifan doesn’t move and Junmyeon loses his patience. He pushes Yifan away and the man loses his balance. Junmyeon grabs him before he could slip and fall down the stairs. However, Yifan still slips a little and his wrist knocks against the balustrade. Junmyeon gasps and Yifan hisses in pain; Junmyeon blurts out, “I am so sorry!”

Junmyeon is still holding Yifan forearm as his other hand moves forwards to check his injury. Yifan flinches and tears his hand away from Junmyeon’s grip. Junmyeon stares flabbergasted as Yifan hurries down the corridor and disappears as he rounds the corner to the stairs leading up to his room. Guilt floods Junmyeon and he feels stupid for lashing out like that. Yifan didn’t deserve it. He sighs and rubs his face as he heads for his room. As he closes the door, he slumps down, with his back pressed against the door as he berates himself. Why does things get worse as soon as they get better between him and Yifan?

 

Next morning, Yifan leaves the house before Junmyeon. He doesn’t have an early shoot today, but he cannot bring himself to face Junmyeon yet. He wraps an ice pack around his wrist, it kind of smarts. He doesn’t drive but calls for a taxi as he heads for Minseok’s home.

Minseok lives in the proper city and the summer sun is still hiding behind clouds as he steps out of the taxi. He knocks on his manager’s door and the man opens it after only two knocks. It is seven in the morning, but Minseok looks as fresh as a daisy. Yifan mentally grimaces at Minseok who is a morning person through and through. Minseok also doesn’t show any surprise in finding his friend, and headache, standing at the entrance to his apartment at seven in the morning dressed in the pyjamas he went to bed in. He moves aside to let Yifan in and asks, “So, what did you fuck up with Junmyeon now?”

Yifan swivels his head around and he is prepared to argue, but then he sees Minseok and his infamous condescending eyebrow tilt and he shuts up. He shrugs as he walks into the kitchen. He grabs a water bottle and finishes it before wiping his mouth and saying, “I had an argument with Junmyeon and hurt my wrist.”

Minseok rolls his eyes. He starts opening cabinets to start preparing breakfast. He has Yifan’s diet memorised, so he starts separating eggs. As he cracks the second egg, he says, “What is new…you two seem to never end fighting. What was it this time though?”

“Sehun,” Yifan admits in a guilty voice.

Minseok has the whisk in his hand and he looks like he wants to throw it at Yifan. But he regains himself and says, “I told you not to get involved with that guy. He is young and immature and obviously infatuated with you.”

Yifan pouts as he leans against the kitchen counter. “Oh, come on, I tried! And I told him subtly that we weren’t going to work! Is it my fault that he didn’t get me?”

Minseok shakes his head. “He is not known for his intelligence Yifan. You have to be more direct. But anyway, why did Sehun lead to you two fighting?”

Yifan hangs his head in shame as he remembers that it was _him_ who pushed Junmyeon too far last night. He says, “I behaved like an ass and one thing led to another and I may have mentioned something about Junmyeon’s cheating ex whom he almost married.”

Minseok puts a pan over heat and whistles, “That’s a low blow.”

“I know, I know,” Yifan nods. “But then he came back home with some other dude and they looked _chummy,_ I mean all hugging and kissing right there on my front porch. So, I got a bit mad and Junmyeon almost killed me, but he also was so stubborn to tell me who the guy was. Like what the fuck, he can ask about my life and I canno—” he stops when Minseok bursts into laughter. “What? Why are you laughing?”

Minseok turns his head around and his cat-like eyes glimmer when he says, “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you sound jealous.”

Yifan eyes widen and his nostrils flare. “What? Why would I be jealous?”

Minseok shrugs and returns his attention in preparing an omelette. “I don’t know. You just sound like you do?”

Yifan swallows as he suddenly remembers a conversation he had with Changsun way back in high school.

_Yifan hadn’t been to school for a few days because of his flu and when he returned after a week, he nearly falls down the stairs when he finds Junmyeon kissing a tall boy. They were on the backstairs and obviously were there to stay away from prying eyes, but Yifan used that way to get to the gym faster, so it wasn’t like he went there on purpose. So, the scene shocked him to no extent. As far as he knew, Junmyeon kept turning down confessions from both girls and boys. So, who the fuck was this guy?_

_When the other guy starts kissing Junmyeon back with fervour, Yifan quietly backs away and he decides to take the longer way to the gym. For some reason, his mind keeps replaying the scene of Junmyeon raising on his tiptoes, clutching the front of the guy’s shirt and tilting his head as the guy winds his fingers through his hair. The guy was tall, and Junmyeon looked so small and fragile in his arms (though Yifan knows Junmyeon can probably throw someone across a room if he wants to). When he enters the locker room, he finds Changsun right away. He pulls his friend away and asks in a hushed tone, “Hey, is Kim dating someone?”_

_Changsun chuckles, “Oh yeah, right. He is, this junior named Jungkook.”_

_“Oh?” Yifan raises his head and the name circles in his head like a mosquito. “I have never seen him?”_

_“Why the interest Yifan?”_

_Yifan flushes and steps back. “No reason.”_

_“Yifan?” Changsun laughs as Yifan removes his shirt. “You aren’t jealous, are you?”_

Yifan had no answer for Changsun that day, and neither does he have one for Minseok today. So, he simply crosses his arms and says, “Why would that be?”

Minseok smirks down at the omelette sizzling on his pan as he slowly turns around. He turns off the heat and covers the pan before saying, “You and Junmyeon, you got history that I can’t even bring myself to understand, so what do I know? I am just passing comments.” When Yifan gapes like a fish, he knows his work here is done. He plates Yifan his food before moving on to make a bowl of oatmeal for himself.

As Yifan starts eating, Minseok says, “You know whatever it is, go apologise to him. Show up at his hospital with lunch or something.”

Yifan chews his food and just nods in response. Minseok smiles like a cat at the small scowl on Yifan’s face.

Junmyeon wakes up feeling dead with a headache and severe dehydration. He knows very well the after effects of drinking rum, and he feels all of them. His body feels like a sponge and he knows no amount of water will quench his thirst. His ankles have also swollen up like a pregnant woman’s and honestly, he just wants to sleep. Thankfully, he only has clinic duty today, so he wakes up and gets to work on time after forcing himself to eat some eggs and bread. The amino acids in eggs help with hangovers and he knows only too well.

Hours pass and he remains sufficiently busy till the first half of his day. Close to one, he finds a text from Yifan on his phone. He frowns at it, but he reads it and he gets surprised. He pockets his phone and leans back in his chair. He rubs his lips and thinks. Last night, both crossed some lines. Yifan shouldn’t have mentioned Chanyeol and he shouldn’t have called Yifan an asshole. What did he know about his relationship with Sehun? Maybe it was stupidly complicated and Yifan didn’t know where to start. He palms his face and decides to apologise to Yifan for it.

Yifan is also deadly punctual, because as soon as the clock strikes two, he gets a missed call. Junmyeon gets up and walks out of his office. He finds Yifan at the reception with bags of food and a sheepish smile that makes Junmyeon feel strange for a second. He looks at the bags because he cannot look at Yifan directly. He points to his left, and says, “There’s an open space, do you want to eat outside?”

Yifan nods and says, “After you then.”

Junmyeon nods and starts walking, with Yifan following him. Yifan texted him an hour ago, saying he was bringing him lunch because he needed to talk. Junmyeon was surprised, but he didn’t stop Yifan. They reach the hospital garden, which also has a few gazebos where people sit and enjoy themselves when the weather is nice. The garden is filled with very few people. A patient is being wheelchaired around the ground by her nurse, and a few doctors are taking a smoke break while some interns are enjoying their lunch breaks as well. Junmyeon chooses an empty gazebo and heads over.

The table is clean and he takes off his coat. He neatly folds it as Yifan sits opposite him. He fishes out the sanitiser from his coat pockets and after using it himself, he looks up at Yifan, who puts his hands forward. As he puts the sanitiser in Yifan’s hands, he mutters, “You are bound to have arthritis when you grow older.”

Yifan is a bit taken aback by this observation. So, he asks, feeling greatly confused, “Um, what?”

“Your hands, they are too big and completely out of proportion with your body. You may even die earlier than expected—a lot of tall people do because their bones go whack before time.”

Yifan stares at Junmyeon for a second before bursting out in laughter. Junmyeon smiles a little as Yifan’s eyes crinkle and his gums show. He looks like the eighteen year old Yifan during high school lunch breaks for a moment. He pulls out a container from one of the bags and asks, “So what did you bring?”

“Noodles and some stir fries. I felt like Chinese food, hope that’s okay,” Yifan says after he collects himself.

Junmyeon shakes his head and smiles as finds the chopsticks, “No, I like Chinese food.”

Yifan smiles. “That’s a relief.” His smile becomes strained when he says, “You just happen to not like certain Chinese people then?”

Junmyeon grins despite himself and as he picks through the broccoli and beef stir fry, he says, “Yeah, there are a few Chinese people I don’t like. Like what’s that dude’s name, Swaggy T or something? His songs are sort of obnoxious. A nurse in our floor is obsessed, keeps playing his songs on the loop!”

Yifan picks up some food and chuckles, “Met the guy in real life once, he is sort of cute though. But he tries very hard to be cool, I swear.”

Junmyeon widens his eyes as he chews his food. “Really?”

Yifan nods and they eat in silence for a few minutes. A gentle breeze picks up and ruffles their hair. Junmyeon looks up from his noodles to look at Yifan, who is fishing out coriander from his chicken stir fry. Junmyeon laughs before helping him, he knows Yifan’s rigid hatred of the herb. His eyes wander to the ugly bruise on Yifan’s left wrist and the guilt comes rushing back. He puts down his chopsticks and gently grabs Yifan’s wrist. He touches the purple spot lightly and asks, “Did you put any bruise ointment on it?” Yifan looks down at his wrist and shakes his head. Junmyeon still has his fingers wrapped around his wrist and Yifan realises how soft and gentle Junmyeon’s touch is. He is such a professional, Yifan muses. “I am sorry for hurting you.”

Yifan looks up and finds Junmyeon looking like he had stepped on a puppy’s tail or something. He shakes his head, “No, I hurt myself. You did nothing.” He closes his eyes and sighs. “Junmyeon? I am sorry for, well, for bringing Chanyeol up. I am really sorry for that.”

Junmyeon juts his lower lip out and sighs. “Yeah, you shouldn’t have said that but I did keep pushing you.”

Yifan vehemently shakes his head. He grabs Junmyeon’s hand, the one on his wrist and says, “No, no. I know that episode of your life was bad and I had no right digging the past up. It’s just, I am so fucking clueless about the Sehun thing that I ended up losing my head.”

Junmyeon realises his small hand is in Yifan’s much larger ones and he keeps staring at it; when he sees how neatly his hand fits into Yifan’s, his heart starts behaving strangely. He murmurs, “I am sorry for saying all those things then. Whatever is happening between you and him, I hope you solve it soon.”

Yifan opens his mouth but closes it as he finds himself at a sudden loss for words. The late afternoon sun forms a pattern on Junmyeon as it falls through the lacework on the roof’s edge. The clouds clear and the entire ground becomes washed with sunlight. As Yifan remains silent, Junmyeon looks up, thinking he had said something wrong again, and as the sun hits his face Yifan becomes transfixed at how the sun makes Junmyeon’s eyes look like they are honey-coloured instead of the usual dark brown.

Junmyeon’s mouth drops a little as he tries to understand why Yifan was looking at him like that. He is about to apologise again when a woman shouts, “Aha, Kim Junmyeon are you on a date?”

Both Yifan and Junmyeon turn their heads at the same time to find Jung Sooyeon grinning at them. She walks closer to them and it is only then Junmyeon registers what she had said. He looks down at his hand, still in Yifan’s and pulls it away. He tucks his hands on his lap, even though Yifan’s touch still lingers. He becomes flustered and frowns up at his friend, “Sooyeon, what the fuck?”

Yifan glances at Junmyeon and his red cheeks. _Cute,_ he finds himself thinking again and it doesn’t freak him out like the last time. He picks up his chopsticks as Sooyeon asks, “So, why are you outside holding hands?”

“I—I was just checking his wound!”

Sooyeon narrows her eyes at him and slowly says, “Sure.”

Yifan decides to step in and stop Junmyeon from dying due to embarrassment. “No, Sooyeon-sshi, he really was. I hit my hand against railings last night. See?” He shows her his wrists and she seems nearly convinced. He soon adds, “Would you like to join us? We have enough food to feed a party I think.”

Sooyeon giggles. She sits down beside Junmyeon and says, “Don’t mind if I do! Thank you though, I almost ate energy bars for lunch for three days in a row.”

As Sooyeon chats with Yifan and tucks into her food, Junmyeon looks at Yifan and a new feeling, something he has never experienced in his heart for the man, fills him up. When Yifan catches him staring at him, he just smiles and Junmyeon smiles back. He knows Yifan saw his gratitude clear in his eyes.

Junmyeon focuses on his noodles as he tries to understand where did this feeling of fondness come from? And as Yifan laughs at something Sooyeon says, his heart feels like it is going to burst with the sudden emotion.


	11. Chapter 11

A few days later, everybody in Seoul wakes up to a freak summer storm. No one saw this coming and work halts for the day. Therefore, Junmyeon doesn’t get to work since he knows trains would be cancelled and taking a taxi takes too long. Yifan too, doesn’t go to his shooting, and the production calls him to say it is cancelled anyway. The children too do not go to school and Junmyeon is amazed at how he was stressing last night, since Sunny wasn’t home (she went to visit her parents yesterday) and he had to get them ready. But now he doesn’t have to, so he leisurely drinks his coffee as Yifan pads in, scratching his stomach and yawning. Junmyeon smiles at the crazy bed hair and marks on his face from sleeping.

Yifan makes his own cup of coffee and watches the rain pouring outside. He asks, “How long will this hold up?”

Junmyeon shrugs. “Most probably till late afternoon.”

“Let’s the wake kids up later?”

“Yeah.” Junmyeon presses his lips against the cup’s rim and Yifan eyes zooms in on that, and he frowns when he realises Junmyeon has a very faint mole on top of his lip on the left. Was it always there? As he stares intensely at Junmyeon’s mouth, the latter sees that and asks, “What? Do I still have toothpaste on my mouth?”

Yifan blushes at getting caught and quickly looks away. He clears his throat and says, “No, sorry I zoned out.” He grasps to look for a way to avoid any further explanation, so he says, “So, you are not going to work today?” When Junmyeon shakes his head, he continues, “Oh, neither am I. Let’s ask the kids what they want to do today then.”

Junmyeon smiles. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I have been too busy to properly spend some time with them.”

“Yeah, same for me as well.”

“So, I was thinking,” Junmyeon puts down the cup and clasps his hands. “Do you want to help me make some cupcakes? I got the ingredients like days ago.”

Yifan nods and moves to help Junmyeon. As Junmyeon brings out the ingredients, Yifan collects all the necessary bowls and utensils. To his surprise, he realises some of the baking items are not his. He has a measuring cup in his hands and he frowns at it, “I don’t remember buying this?”

Junmyeon sees what Yifan is frowning at and he laughs, “Oh, that’s mine. I got some of my baking tools over from my house a week ago or so. Have been wanting to use them for a while.”

“Oh,” Yifan says as he places the bright cherry red measuring cup on the counter. Come to think of it, those measuring spoons aren’t his, and the cup that Junmyeon was drinking from isn’t his either. Then he looks around his kitchen, and he finds many things that aren’t his, and somehow this makes him feel happy. He spots a Doraemon cup and a Pororo glass wedged between a Zootopia bowl and his grin widens. Now the kitchen feels like a space that people actually use. He hardly cooked and mostly ate in his room, but ever since the children and Junmyeon moved in, he realises he had been using more of the house now. He is also sure his high-tech oven will be used for the first time today.

Junmyeon calls him, “Hey can you break four eggs? Just whisk them.”

“Yes sir!” Yifan grins as he goes over to the fridge to grab eggs.

Junmyeon notices Yifan’s joy and he wonders what brought that on. So, he carefully asks, “You look happy.”

Yifan bites his lip. He isn’t too sure how he can tell Junmyeon how he feels, so he settles for something else. “Nothing, it’s been a while since I ate anything sweet.”

“That diet of yours?” Junmyeon asks. He rakes his gaze over Yifan’s body and realises something. He frowns, “Come to think of it, you are getting skinnier.”

Yifan shakes his head as he breaks the eggs. “I am losing weight for my movie.”

“Why? Are you playing a starving artist or something?”

Yifan bursts out laughing. “No, but the character demands it.”

“I don’t understand. You will get sick if you get any thinner. Remember what I said about taller people and their bones? A diet like yours will affect your bones if you keep at it any longer.” Junmyeon is now actually bothered and he hopes Yifan stops whatever he is doing.

Yifan looks at Junmyeon and he sees the concern bright as day, reflected in his eyes. He says, “Don’t worry. After the shooting’s done, I will stop.” When Junmyeon looks unconvinced, he raises his pinkie finger, “I promise.”

Junmyeon scoffs but entwines his pinkie finger with Yifan anyway. “What are we? Kids?”

Yifan doesn’t reply, only grins and Junmyeon thinks how endearing Yifan’s smile can be. He removes his finger and looks away, trying to measure a cup of flour to stop his strange thoughts. They work in tandem with Junmyeon ordering Yifan around and Yifan asking a million questions (“What is that?” “Sour cream.” “Why are you putting that?” “Wu, you will know when you eat it.” “Okay?”). Junmyeon didn’t mind it much, since the last time he had someone talking his ear off while baking was a long time ago.

Suddenly, he remembers how Chanyeol would bother him as well when he would bake and try to mess up his accurate measurements. As he folds in the chocolate chips in the cake batter, his mind wanders and he gets lost in the past. Yifan is asking something redundant again, but when Junmyeon doesn’t answer, he frowns. He comes to stand beside Junmyeon and notices the latter has zoned out. He lightly shakes Junmyeon and the other jumps a little. His wide eyes blink up at Yifan and his mouth purses slightly. “Yeah? Did you say something?”

Yifan shakes his head. “Are you okay?”

Junmyeon smiles, or tries to and Yifan sees right through it. “I am okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Now can you help me line the muffin tray?”

Yifan chooses to not push Junmyeon anymore. The muffin tray is in the oven when loud footsteps make their way in the kitchen. The twins shout, “Good morning Fanfan and Moonmoon!”

Jihyun is more subdued and sleepily says, “Good morning uncles.”

The adults smile at the children, who realise the adults were up to something while they were asleep and soon start asking. When they are informed that cupcakes are on their way, their shouts of joy are adorable. Yifan and Junmyeon start on breakfast as the former says, “So, since we all have a holiday today, what do you want to do?”

“Let’s eat all the cupcakes!”

“Let’s watch a movie!”

“Let’s make a blanket fort!”

Both adults laugh at the recommendations. Junmyeon and Yifan share a glance and quickly decide. Junmyeon puts his hands on his hips and says, “Why don’t we do it all?”

 

Three hours and a huge breakfast later, all five of them are huddled under the blanket fort they made in Yifan’s room. Since the television in the room was connected to the wireless internet and could be used to access Yifan’s Netflix account, they all chose to come upstairs. Now, all of them are on their second movie, _Zootopia_ thanks to Jihyun, and in front of them are strewn all the half-eaten snacks and the empty plate decorated with cake crumbs. They are spread all over the floor with pillows and cushions taken from all over the house. The cupcakes were a hit and the children (and one adult) wanted more, but Junmyeon was strict and said they would get some later, after lunch.

After the movie ends, Junmyeon and Yifan herald all of them downstairs again and start preparations for the lunch. Kimchi fried rice is the menu as decided by Junseo and Jihyun, with a side of fried ham and eggs, as wished for by Junhyung. They eat their lunch whilst arguing about what movie to watch next. _Inside Out_ is chosen as the next movie, and then armed with popcorn, more cupcakes and tetra packs of juice, they return upstairs.

However, with their stomach filled with food and the gentle patter of the rain outside, it soon lulls them one by one to sleep. Junseo is the first one to go, pressed against his sister. Junmyeon moves him and places a pillow under his head. Next, Jihyun cuddles up to Yifan and soon is asleep. Yifan makes her comfortable and then he watches as Junhyung rubs his eyes and crawls into Junmyeon’s lap. Yifan watches Junmyeon smile at Junhyung as the kid makes himself comfortable. The sky outside is dark so Yifan turned on the fairy lights to give the space some brightness. Junmyeon too seems close to falling asleep himself, but he notices Yifan staring at him, so he asks, “What?”

Yifan shakes his head. “Nothing, today is quite nice, right?”

Junmyeon grins, “Yeah it is, but don’t jinx it.”

Yifan chuckles softly and says nothing. The light from the fairy lights fall on them, covering them in a weak, hazy light that makes everything cosier, more intimate and Yifan’s breath suddenly catches in his throat. As Junmyeon’s eyes flutter close, and the yellow light softens his smile, Yifan is amazed by how _beautiful_ Kim Junmyeon is. The realisation is like travelling in a dark tunnel for hours and the sudden sunlight that blinds you. Or seeing snowfall for the first time—something akin to a revelation that has always been obvious but temporarily unknown. Yifan is absolutely taken aback. How did he never see this? Yifan wonders why he never noticed the small things—like the gentle gaze of those soft brown eyes that turn into the colour of honey under sunlight, that perfect small and pink mouth, the faint mole over his lips, the permanent peach flush on his skin. He knows beautiful isn’t the adjective commonly used to describe a man, but right now his mind cannot supply a more apt word. His heart thuds in his chest as he comes to this realisation.

No, he knew Junmyeon was better than average, but when did he become this…this _amazing_?

His eyes graze down the sharp jawline and follow the curve of his neck, and he realises even that curve is beautiful. His hand suddenly itches to trace the high cheekbone and the curve of his neck and satisfy his sudden curiosity: is Junmyeon’s skin as soft as it looks?

However, he knows Junmyeon wouldn’t appreciate him touching him. So, he bunches his hands and tries to sleep. He closes his eyes and Junmyeon’s sleepy smile and gaze is burned on the back of his eyelids. He softly curses himself and wonders if this sudden realisation is a bad thing or a good thing.

 

A day later, the revelation is still heavy on Yifan’s mind. From yesterday, he realised he now stares at Junmyeon for a few seconds too long. And this morning, as they breakfasted together Yifan couldn’t _stop_ appreciating the way Junmyeon’s skin glowed in the salmon pink shirt is he was wearing. Right now, he is at a photoshoot, and all he can think is Junmyeon and Junmyeon in that shirt and he wishes he could stop. He wishes he wasn’t so aware, but here he is still awed at how good Junmyeon looks in pastel shades.

When they are refreshing his makeup for the second set, Minseok strolls up to him. The manager says, “Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?”

“Why?” Yifan asks as someone pats powder on his nose.

“Seohyun wanted to organise a dinner. She says her gang hasn’t had any time to spend for centuries.”

“God Minseok, you are so whipped, aren’t you?” Yifan grins. Minseok glares at him and he chuckles, “Anyway, what is tomorrow’s date?”

“May 22nd.” Then the makeup artist groans because Yifan moves his head with a gasp and now there is a trail of clear lipgloss across his cheek, Minseok asks, “What?”

“Tomorrow is Junmyeon’s birthday,” Yifan says.

Minseok’s eyebrows rise and he smirks. “Oh, well then. I can tell Seohyun to do this someday later.”

Yifan frowns, “What.”

“You obviously want to spend some time with Junmyeon I suppose,” Minseok grabs his phone and calls his girlfriend. “I will tell Seohyun, you don’t worry.”

Before Yifan could say anything, Minseok swiftly moves away. When Seohyun picks up, Minseok chuckles, “Sorry love, Yifan cannot come tomorrow. It is Junmyeon’s birthday.”

Seohyun laughs, “Oh my! Really? Well, let’s not bother them then.”

“You know at this rate, I will win the bet.”

“Oh please. This is a slow burn romance my dear baozi.”

Minseok blushes a little at the nickname, but quickly retorts, “I said less than a year, and so it shall be.”

“Let’s see. May the best player win!”

Are Minseok and Seohyun even a bit ashamed of betting on Yifan and Junmyeon? Probably not.

 

On May 22, Junmyeon takes the night shift since he hoped to spend his birthday sleeping a little bit more. That was his gift from himself. He wakes up at six like always and sleep eludes him, so as he watches the clock tick, he wonders if he should help Sunny with the children today. However, thirty minutes later, as he makes up his mind to assist Sunny, he realises the house is extremely silent. By now, Jihyun would be up and about. She would even come to greet him a good morning. But today, Jihyun does not come and he gets suspicious. He gets down from his bed and when he peeks outside, the silence that greets him suprises him.

He calls out, “Sunny? Jihyun?” No one answers. Where did everyone go?

He walks down the stairs to get to the kitchen, and when he gets there, he gets terribly startled by shouts of “Happy birthday Moonmoon!” “Happy birthday Junmyeon!” and “Happy birthday uncle!”

In front of him, on the dining table is a birthday cake with Yifan, Jihyun, Junseo, Junhyung, Sunny, Minseok and Taecyeon smiling at him. Junhyung rushes forward and grabs Junmyeon’s hands. The boy pulls Junmyeon inside and the older man is still very surprised. When his eyes land on Yifan’s, he finds the other grinning at him. Yifan remembered his birthday?

Minseok lights the candles and Junmyeon feels embarrassed as Junhyung brings him over to the table. He finds himself standing between Yifan on one side and Jihyun on the other. Jihyun claps, “Blow the candles uncle and make a wish!”

Junmyeon chuckles before leaning forward and his face gets redder as everyone actually starts singing for him as he blows out the candle. Yet he feels happy inside. The last few birthdays were mostly spent working. His parents would call, so would his friends but he would be too busy to sit down and enjoy his day with people he cares. As he blows out each candle, he looks around him—at Jihyun, Junseo, Junhyung and even Yifan, and he thinks his twenty-ninth birthday has to be the best in a long time. The last time he had a cake for his birthday was probably nine years ago, so this is nice. Sunny passes a knife and Junmyeon cuts a large piece from the white chocolate cake. He first feeds Junhyung, then Junseo before moving on to Jihyun, who grins as she swipes her hand in some icing before smearing it across Junmyeon’s cheek. The older gasps but isn’t angry at Jihyun, and the others, laugh.

When he comes to Yifan, he tries to not feel too flustered as Yifan bends his knees to allow him easier access. The large piece has reduced into a bite-size piece and as Junmyeon feeds it to Yifan, his thumb brushes against Yifan’s lower lip. Yifan opens his mouth and Junmyeon nearly drops his hand when he feels Yifan’s tongue lightly flick against his finger. A shiver skitters down his spine and for some reason, his heart starts beating too fast. Yifan takes a really tiny bite and when Junmyeon does drop his hand, Yifan takes the piece from him and says in a low tone, “Hey, birthday boy needs to eat some too.”

Junmyeon face is red, he can tell because he is feeling too hot now. But he opens his mouth anyway and Yifan feeds him the rest of the cake. As Junmyeon chews, he watches Yifan lick the icing off his finger and he thinks if it’s him or the air conditioner that is not working right now. All this happens under two minutes, but for Junmyeon, everything happens in slow motion and feels like an eternity, and by the time he comes back to reality, Sunny says, “So kids, go on, show what you made for Junmyeon!”

The twins come forward with their sister and hand Junmyeon a huge handmade card. He is still recovering from the whole licking-icing-off-fingers thing, so he tries hard to concentrate on the glittering birthday message with a hand drawn stick-figure Junmyeon holding a cake in his hands and sporting a large smile. Junseo and Junhyung are the artists, while the writing was done by Jihyun—Junmyeon can tell. He feels the love; he kneels and pulls all three of them into his embrace. The children are squished tightly in his hold, but they don’t complain. Junmyeon takes time to kiss each of them on their heads, and his eyes may be watery as he thanks them.

Sunny gives him a shirt and Minseok hands him a notebook, profusely apologising since he went gift shopping last minute and apparently Yifan was of no help. Junmyeon grins and thanks him anyway. Taecyeon too has a gift for him, which is nothing grand but it is simple and when he hands Junmyeon the bunch of peach roses, he says in a sheepish tone, “I am sorry, I do not know what you like exactly.”

Junmyeon takes the flowers anyway and presses his face into it. The gesture was so simple, that Junmyeon almost wants to coo at the man. However, he settles for a subdued, “Thank you Taecyeon-sshi.”

Soon, Sunny reminds the children they still need to go to school and drags them upstairs to get them ready despite all the loud protests. Minseok and Taecyeon head towards the stove discussing details about Yifan’s schedule. Junmyeon cuts the cake into equal slices when Yifan comments, “You don’t like roses.”

Junmyeon looks up to find Yifan scowling at Taecyeon’s gift. Junmyeon frowns, “Well, yes, I don’t. But Taecyeon-sshi put his heart into it and I appreciate it. “

“Hm,” Yifan picks up the flowers from where Junmyeon had kept them. He touches a petal and mumbles, “The colour matches you.” The next moment, Yifan bites the inside of his cheek, desperately hoping Junmyeon didn’t hear it.

Junmyeon doesn’t hear what Yifan said, so he says, “Did you say something?”

Yifan sighs in relief and puts down the flowers. “Uh, I said, didn’t you get asked out by a guy in high school with roses? He went down on his knees and all and gave you a giant bouquet of red roses?”

Junmyeon was cutting the last slice when he pauses. He blinks at Yifan in confusion. He tries remembering to what Yifan is referring to, but he cannot. He says, “I don’t remember that.” Then he grins, “How come you do?”

Yifan raises his eyebrows. “I am pretty sure everyone present at the cafeteria remembers.”

Junmyeon laughs. “Well, I don’t.”

“And then you started dating that younger guy instead.”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon smiles, a little wistful and Yifan wonders what that is about. “Jungkook. He was a sweet guy.” Yifan frowns at the way Junmyeon’s eyes soften as he zones out. Yifan feels annoyed—why is Junmyeon thinking about someone he dated more than a decade ago? He is about to pass a snarky comment, when Junmyeon sighs, “He was my first real boyfriend.”

Now this was news to Yifan. He blurts out, “Seriously?”

Junmyeon finishes cutting the cake and nods, still smiling that soft, beautiful smile that is making Yifan’s heart all weird. “Yeah…being with him was…nice.” The smile drops and he suddenly realises who he is talking to. He asks, “Wait, why are you even listening to me? Don’t you have better things to do?”

Yifan chuckles. “Well, yeah, but I still haven’t given you your gift. Come with me.” Junmyeon juts his lower lip out but curiosity gets the better of him and he follows Yifan all the way to the latter’s room. Yifan kneels beside his bookshelf and brings out a cardboard box. “Sorry, didn’t find the time to wrap it.”

Junmyeon shakes his head and smiles, “That’s okay.” He takes the box from Yifan’s hand and when he peers into it, he nearly drops it. He looks at Yifan with his wide eyes and open mouth. “Yifan? This is a Leica SL Mirrorless.”

Yifan jams his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “Yeah, I know.”

“It is also stupidly expensive.” Junmyeon feels breathless and his head might be swimming as he clutches the box in his hands.

“I can afford it.”

Junmyeon fights the urge to roll his eyes. “I know you idiot. What I mean is why are you giving me an expensive camera for my birthday?”

Yifan pouts. “Weren’t you president of the photography club back in school?” When Junmyeon nods his head tentatively, Yifan continues, “And did you not take every picture for our annual senior trip to Jeju?” Another nod. “And did you no get many prizes for your pictures that year?” Another nod, this time accompanied by a very visible blush. Yifan comes closer and smiles, “I know I used to make fun of you when you would run around taking those pictures, but I never got to tell you how amazing I found them. Younger me would have died before agreeing with your obvious talent Junmyeon. And I remember you getting drunk one day and complaining to Changsun how you don’t do what you love the most, which is photography.”

Junmyeon gasps and his chest tightens. He doesn’t know but the onslaught of sudden emotions chokes him up. Yifan remembers all that…and he called him by his name for the first time. He mutters, “You called me Junmyeon, you never call me Junmyeon.”

Yifan smiles and his voice is a little breathless when he says, looking a bit surprised himself, “Did I?”

Junmyeon looks away and focuses on his feet as he says, “Yes.”

Yifan comes closer still, and from this distance, Junmyeon can smell the scent of the soap the taller uses. “Well I should probably call you that. I mean we are not in school anymore, and things have changed, right?” Junmyeon is too scared to look up for some unfathomable reason. Suddenly he feels a warm hand on his nape and Yifan whispers, “Hey, did I break you or something?”

Junmyeon inhales deeply and slowly raises his head. Yifan’s breath hitches when Junmyeon peers up at him through his lashes. Junmyeon whispers, “No it’s just…thank you Yifan really.”

Yifan smile is lopsided and as he beams down at Junmyeon, the latter is awed by how deep and gentle his eyes are. “Hey, you called me by my name too.”

Junmyeon notices Yifan’s gaze flicker to his lips, and he inhales sharply. Out of the blue, he feels like escaping from the warmth on his nape, or the kind and concerned gaze in those terribly poignant eyes. _This is dangerous,_ a small voice reminds him. He quickly takes a step back and he smiles over the rapid beating of his heart. He says, “Thank you so much.”

Minseok calls them down for breakfast and Yifan shouts back, “Yeah coming!”

Junmyeon hugs the box to his chest and grins, “Let’s go.”

Yifan shakes his head. “You go on ahead, I uh, I need to get my script.”

Junmyeon nods and beams up at Yifan for the last time before turning around and climbing down the stairs. When Yifan is determined Junmyeon is on the ground and walking away from his room, he clutches his head and cries, “Fuck!”

Did he just want to kiss Junmyeon? He did, didn’t he? When Junmyeon looked up at him with his wide kitten gaze and pink cheeks, he couldn’t help but wonder how Junmyeon would blush if he just kissed him on his lips. Hell, he was probably wondering it in the back of his mind when he touched Junmyeon’s lip when he went to feed him cake. This isn’t right, he reminds himself. Junmyeon is someone who will not blush if he kisses him; Junmyeon is not one of those star- struck people who would. Kim Junmyeon would probably punch him first and then ask questions later.

…Yet, Yifan still doesn’t understand where the sudden urge to kiss Junmyeon came from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am amazed that i am writing all this fluff. like i haven't killed anyone?? i feel strange lmao


	12. Chapter 12

Junmyeon smiles up at the woman in front of him, “Don’t forget to give him something to eat before giving him the medicines. He cannot take these on an empty stomach.”

The mother of the sick nine years old boy nods and offers her gratitude before leaving his clinic. As soon as she leaves, Junmyeon groans and falls over the table with his hands caging his head. Ever since he left the house, he has been thinking nonstop about what happened in Yifan’s room today. He stowed away Yifan’s very expensive gift with one part wanting to return it to him and the other part reminding him that he doesn’t have to, that he can bask in Yifan’s attention and not feel strange over it. Junmyeon feels betrayed by the other part that is skipping around his head with a huge grin on its face. So what Yifan still remembers so much about from their high school days? So what his skin is still pricking where Yifan touched him? So what he cannot forget the way Yifan said his name and looked at him this morning? None of it bothers him.

Except he knows he is lying to himself and it makes him madder at himself. He groans again and wants to throw things around, except he doesn’t, because he isn’t keen on cleaning after himself. He wants to run to Namjoon to talk this out with him, but he is also not ready to hear whatever the therapist has to say to him.

But all of this isn’t the worst part. The worst part is definitely what he was thinking this morning when Yifan looked down at him and his lips with his soft gaze and cryptic smile. _What would it feel like kissing Yifan?_

Junmyeon groans again and slams his head on the table. The pain blooming on his forehead isn’t enough to make his stupid thoughts disappear and his self-loathing just elevates.

 

After what happened, Yifan and Junmyeon start keeping a respectable distance. They are not fighting but they ensure that they are not alone for too long around each other. Yifan would remember he has to do something to stop himself from saying or doing something he might regret while Junmyeon would do the same to stop his strange thoughts from emerging from the depths of his conscious where he would bury them every night.

The summer turns more humid and the rain clouds roll in when Junmyeon remembers the twins’ birthday is getting closer. So, one day after he returns from work, he waits for Yifan in the living room. He had bought a book down with him but he forgets all about reading it when Seokjin sends him a link with the message _Are they still together?_ He opens the link and he nearly falls down from his sofa. The link opens to an article with the headline _So what have been supermodel Oh Sehun and actor Wu Yifan up to?_

Junmyeon is both curious and bothered as he reads through the article. Apparently, the media and fans are wondering what’s been going on between the two men, especially since no one has seen them together for months. However, a specific line almost has Junmyeon throwing his phone away.

_However, maybe Yifan has found someone new? Has Dr Kim Junmyeon replaced Oh Sehun? It is now confirmed that the doctor and actor are living under the same roof and Yifan has been seen bringing lunch for his alleged ‘boyfriend’._

The accompanying picture, however, makes Junmyeon livid. The picture might be blurry, but he recognises the place. Someone took this picture when Yifan brought him lunch to the hospital a few months ago. He drags his teeth over his lower lip and for a moment, he is mad at Yifan. But then his anger dissipates when he realises that it is not Yifan’s fault. Instead he starts feeling mad over how Yifan cannot catch a break and enjoy his privacy. He closes the browser and quickly sends Seokjin a reply. He puts his phone face down on the coffee table and ignores the subsequent buzzing. He picks up _Tender is the Night_ but even Fitzgerald isn’t capable enough to make him forget “ _Has Dr Kim Junmyeon replaced Oh Sehun?”_

Even though he expects Sehun to come bother him again, he cannot stop recalling the low-quality picture of him and Yifan. They did look like a couple from a distance, didn’t they? Maybe Sooyeon’s jibe wasn’t that misplaced. He mutters a curse under his breath and puts his book down to slap his own forehead. Why is he thinking such strange things?

The door opens and Yifan peeks in. It surprises him to find Junmyeon sitting there with his head in his hand. He cautiously asks, “Junmyeon? Are you okay?”

Junmyeon looks up and when he sees Yifan, his face gets red and he shakes his head. “No, no, I am fine!” Yifan frowns as he walks in. He had a photoshoot after his shooting and he hasn’t removed the makeup, so Junmyeon gets remined of how disturbingly attractive Yifan can get. He knows Yifan is good-looking but right now with his dark rimmed eyes and stylised messy hair, and black shirt with the first three buttons open, suddenly makes his throat very dry. Junmyeon slowly gets to his feet and smiles, “I just wanted to talk to you about the twins’ birthday.”

Yifan scratches his cheek, getting annoyed at how thickly they layered the concealer on his face today. “Oh yeah, it’s on the seventh, right?” When Junmyeon nods in response, he continues, “So, do you have a plan?”

Junmyeon chuckles lightly. “I was thinking of arranging a party here? If you think that is okay…”

Yifan shakes his head. “I am fine with that.”

“Okay!” Then Junmyeon sees Yifan yawning. “You look tired.”

Yifan rubs his eyes and instantly hates himself for it. He knows he has smudged the eyeliner and his eyes water up when some flecks of it gets into his eyes. “Shit, I rubbed it all in my eye!”

Junmyeon laughs and walks closer to Yifan. He puts his hands on Yifan’s shoulder and turns him around. “Go take your shower. Did you have dinner?”

Yifan nods as his vision finally clears up. “Yeah, Minseok fed me.”

Junmyeon forgets to pick up his book as he turns off the lights in the living room and walks upstairs side by side with Yifan. He asks, “Minseok thinks you are his child, doesn’t he?”

Yifan laughs. “That’s not too far from the truth!”

They are walking down the corridor when they stop in front of Junmyeon’s room. Yifan bows his head. “Good night Junmyeon.”

“Good night…” Junmyeon finds himself hesitating before adding, “Yifan.” They share a smile and Junmyeon heads inside. He tries to calm his heart, which picked up pace when Yifan said his name. He cups his face and tells himself, “Get over it Junmyeon!”

Meanwhile, as Yifan takes off his clothes to get under the shower, he smiles at the cute, hesitant way Junmyeon said his name.

 

A few days later, Yifan and Junmyeon, with Taecyeon discreetly following them, head to a bakery to place an order for a cake for the twins’ birthday. Yifan knows some celebrity patissier who happily agreed to help them, and Junmyeon goes along with it. The patissier, Do Kyungsoo, has his shop in one of the chicest hotel in Gangnam and Junmyeon is a little dazzled by the interiors. He is admiring a floral arrangement when Yifan drags him away to the shop.

Do Kyungsoo resembles a penguin somewhat and Junmyeon gets the strongest urge to pinch his cheeks, but he restrains because one mustn’t do that to people they just met five seconds ago. They are seated in the shop, which is blessedly empty with some cake and icing samples spread before them. Kyungsoo is congratulating Yifan on his last movie, and when he notices Junmyeon, he laughs, “So the internet is right? Is this who you are dating now, because if you he is much better tha—”

Yifan makes a sound between yelping and groaning and flails his hands as Junmyeon turns fifty shades of red. Yifan too has a dark flush on his face when he says, “No, no, we are just…friends.”

Kyungsoo’s wide eyes get wider still and he looks sorry as he bows multiple times, profusely apologising. Junmyeon hurriedly says, “Oh, Mr Do, it’s okay, you don’t have to.”

Kyungsoo straightens up and shakes his head. “I am so sorry for assuming.”

“Kyungsoo,” Yifan groans, face still red. “We’re okay, just let’s get to work, yeah?”

Kyungsoo still looks apologetic but he nods. He pulls out a small notebook from his apron and flipping it open, asks, “So, how old are the kids?”

“They turn four in four days,” Junmyeon smiles. “They are twins.”

“Oh! How adorable! So, what do they like?”

After discussing for nearly two hours and after ten samples and two cups of tea (on the house, of course), Junmyeon and Yifan decide on a two-tier chocolate cake with alternative layers of salted caramel and chocolate icing decorated with both fondant figures of Doraemon and Pororo on the top. They bid goodbye after Yifan pays half of the bill—the other half will be given on delivery by Junmyeon, which he nearly wrestled Yifan into agreeing with. As they head outside, Junmyeon looks at his watch. He took the afternoon shift today, and he reckons he still has three hours to go. It is pretty close to lunchtime, so with great trepidation, he asks, “Hey, do you want to get some lunch, maybe?”

Yifan, to be honest, is greatly surprised by Junmyeon’s question. The shorter man so far, has managed to not spend any extra time with him. Therefore, this sudden suggestion surprises him. He is blinking down at Junmyeon with much confusion, and when he sees the gleam in Junmyeon’s eyes starting to fade, he quickly says, “Yes, I’d love that!”

Junmyeon is now the one staring at Yifan in confusion. He noticed that Yifan didn’t like being around him for too long, so that fact that he agreed with his suggestion, surprises him a little. But he quickly collects himself and says, “Okay, okay, um, where do you want to go?”

Yifan purses his lips and thinks. “Well not here. I only like the bakery here, the restaurant is kind of shit and their food is overpriced.”

Junmyeon laughs. “I thought you could afford everything?’

“Hey,” Yifan grins. “Just because I am rich doesn’t mean I am going to spend my money mindlessly.”

Junmyeon chuckles at Yifan’s comment, but his heart lurches when he realises that Yifan still bought that very expensive camera for him. They walk out of the hotel and into their parking lot; Yifan unlocks his car and Junmyeon just stands there trying to understand Yifan.

When they met for the first time, it was the first day of ninth grade and fifteen years old Junmyeon was walking down the stairs with his best friend Soohyun when they bumped into the duo of Changsun and Yifan. More like Yifan and Junmyeon crashed into each other, and their best friends got all flustered. For Changsun and Soohyun, it was love at first sight—Changsun spluttered when she smiled and Soohyun blushed when he smiled back. For Yifan and Junmyeon, it was hate at first sight—Junmyeon pushed Yifan back when the taller insulted his tiny stature and Yifan pushed right back when Junmyeon cursed at him. They thought that would be the end of it, but it didn’t. Changsun and Soohyun started hanging out, and by default, so did Yifan and Junmyeon’s not-so-peaceful interactions increased. The one good thing that happened though was how Junmyeon befriended Changsun and Yifan did the same with Soohyun. The only bad thing was that Junmyeon and Yifan never quite learned how to see eye to eye in the four years they spend in high school, and they took this immature enmity beyond school as well. In between college and Yifan’s rising popularity, they saw each other less, but it still didn’t stop them from lashing out at each other whenever they did meet.

And now, almost fifteen years since they met on the backstairs of their high school, Junmyeon tries his best to understand how they started with pushing each other to Yifan gifting him on his birthday, something so ridiculously expensive, especially after he said he doesn’t spend his money “mindlessly”, and being this nice, kind and sweet to him. Yifan gets out of the car when he realises Junmyeon is still standing outside. He stands on the other side and his words are fuzzy to Junmyeon’s ears as the latter tries to match the fifteen years old Yifan with his long hair and ponytail to this almost-thirty short-haired Yifan. He is still taller than him and still better looking than him, yet he has _changed_ so much and Junmyeon never even noticed.

Yifan gets worried at the faraway look in Junmyeon’s eyes. He tries again, “Hey, Junmyeon!”

Junmyeon snaps out of his thoughts and smiles at Yifan. “Sorry, I got distracted. Where are we going for lunch?”

Yifan exhales in relief and smiles, “It is a surprise. Come on.”

Junmyeon frowns but he gets in the car anyway. Soon the car winds out of Gangnam and heads towards Myeongdong. As Yifan swerves the car into a lane, Junmyeon widens his eyes as recognition sets in. “Don’t tell me the place still exists, ‘cause I will be damned!”

“It does,” Yifan chuckles. “I often come to eat here when I am working in Gangnam.”

Junmyeon grins at Yifan as the latter parks the car at the mouth of another lane. The pathway is narrow, so they have to walk the rest of the way. The myriad smell of different kinds of hotpot wafts over to them and Junmyeon says, “I haven’t been here for ages!”

“Yeah?” Yifan asks as he pushes the door open. His mouth has already started to water as soon as he steps inside the place.

Junmyeon nods. “Yeah. Studying medical leaves you with very little free time and I hardly step out to eat when I am at the hospital.”

“That sounds sad,” Yifan chuckles as he spots them an empty seat by a cozy nook. They take their seats. “I still come here every now and then.”

Junmyeon peruses the menu as he laughs. “Yeah, obviously, I am not surprised you do. You are obsessed with hotpot!”

Yifan’s gummy smile makes an appearance as he beckons a waiter over. “Well, you got me there!”

They order a beef and mushroom hotpot with a side of sweet potato noodles. They don’t order any alcohol since Junmyeon still has to go to work. An hour amicably passes between them as they eat and talk about Yifan’s movie, Junmyeon’s medical school mishaps, the twins’ upcoming birthday and everything in between. They have a small disagreement over the bill about who pays, but they compromise and both Junmyeon and Yifan divide the amount between themselves.

Yifan didn’t wear his mask today, going only with the sunglasses. They are walking back to the car when an ice cream stall catches Junmyeon’s eyes. Yifan doesn’t buy any, but Junmyeon gets himself a chocolate cone. He is about to take a lick when Yifan grabs his elbow, and he grabs it with enough strength to make Junmyeon wince a bit. Junmyeon asks, “What?”

Yifan low growl surprises Junmyeon. “I am sorry, but someone is following us.” Junmyeon is about to whip his head back when Yifan hisses, “Don’t look back! There a couple of people, fansites most probably, following us. Damn it, I should have worn my mask, and not dismiss Taecyeon.”

Junmyeon gulps. “Well, you are kind of still obvious even with it.”

Yifan frowns. “I—you know what—never mind. Let’s take a detour to the car.” With that they duck into another lane, and speedily walk down it, and that is when Junmyeon hears it—footsteps and a camera shutter. A fear of sorts settles on to him and he sends Yifan a terrified look. Yifan sees it and laces his fingers through his and nods his head at Junmyeon, as if assuring him, as if silently asking him to trust him. Junmyeon has no idea where they are, but Yifan does and he chooses to trust him. They pick up speed and the footsteps sound faint, and Yifan whispers, “Okay, we have started to lose them.”

They duck into another alley, but this one is dark and ridiculously narrow. So, when Yifan pulls into it, Junmyeon finds himself pressed too close to Yifan. The ice cream has melted down his hand and when Yifan pulls him, Junmyeon flails his hand and some of it smears across Yifan’s cheek. Junmyeon doesn’t question how it happened, but as he stands chest-to-chest with Yifan, his heart rabbits in his chest. Yifan is warm and his cologne is super nice and Junmyeon kinds of wants to press his face on his chest. The thought surprises him; he throws the ice cream away and opens his mouth to speak, but Yifan covers it with his hand. With his free hand Yifan places a finger on his own lips and shakes his head.

Yifan hates how their nice day turned out like. He was really enjoying his day, but then this happened, and even though Junmyeon pressed against him in the alleyway is not awful, he still hates how it came to be because people are stalking him. He can feel Junmyeon’s lips under his palm and his mind goes haywire when he notes how soft they are. And Junmyeon looks like a confused kitten as he blinks at him. Yifan, this close, can smell Junmyeon’s shampoo and he kinds of want to dig his nose in the really downy-looking hair. Somewhere he hears two people arguing outside, rushed footsteps and then silence. But he is still looking down at Junmyeon, who is now staring right back at him.

A part of him wants to run and the other part wants to do _something_ , however, Junmyeon takes the former option and pulls Yifan’s hand away from his face. He clears his throat and whispers, “I think they are gone Yifan.”

Yifan blinks himself back to reality and nods his head. He keeps holding on to Junmyeon’s hands still as they make their way back to the car. Yifan finally releases Junmyeon when they find their car. They quickly take their seats and Yifan doesn’t ask, but starts for Junmyeon’s workplace.

The journey is silent, each stewing in their thoughts, which unbeknownst to them are about the same alleyway. Yifan moves his car into the hospital’s entrance, when suddenly Junmyeon cries, “Oh!”

Yifan jumps a little, but his surprise doesn’t end there as Junmyeon curls a finger underneath his chin and with a tissue in his free hand, gently wipes something wet and sticky from his face. Yifan frowns, “What is on my face?”

Junmyeon bites his lip. “I am sorry, I hit you with my ice cream.”

Yifan’s eyes flick about. “Where is your ice cream?” Junmyeon is so gentle and careful, and his fingers feels so nice on his skin. Yifan wants to stay like this for a little bit longer.

Junmyeon smiles. “I threw it away.” He stops cleaning Yifan’s face. “Now, you are handsome again.”

Yifan raises his eyebrows. “You think I am handsome?”

Junmyeon blushes but rolls his eyes. “Do you need my opinion on your face? Don’t you know already?”

Yifan laughs and scratches his neck. He bows his head as he says, “Junmyeon, I am really sorry for today.”

Junmyeon bites his lip again and shakes his head. “Occupational hazard, I get it.”

Yifan hits the steering wheel as frustration wells inside him anew. A decade later in this industry, and he still hates how easily his privacy is invaded. “I am so sorry Junmyeon. I am sorry you keep getting caught in my mess. And I was having a nice time too, but no, it just had to be ruined!”

Junmyeon can tell Yifan was getting madder by the second. He hesitates, but puts a hand over Yifan’s anyway. The other turns his head to look at Junmyeon, who smiles, trying to reassure him, “Hey, just stop, okay? I was scared, not gonna lie, but I understand. Stop it, okay? Don’t berate yourself.” Then he feels all bashful as he says, “I, uh, I had a nice day too, thanks for that.” Yifan feels equally nonplussed; Junmyeon pulls his hand away and opens his car door. “Now, drive safely and text me when you get home, okay?”

“Okay,” Yifan says, a little bit in daze at the comely smile aimed at him. He waits till Junmyeon walks up the stairs, and when Junmyeon turns around to wave back at him, he waves right back with his heart in his mouth. As he starts the car, heading back home, a realisation dawns on him unexpectedly.

He has started to like Junmyeon, hasn’t he?


	13. Chapter 13

A couple of days later, the rains truly arrive in Seoul and due to a possible storm warning, Junmyeon and many of the clinic doctors decide to head home, especially those who had been on ward duty for the last few days. Junmyeon pulled a double shift yesterday, and trudged back home two hours after midnight. Due to a colleague’s maternity leave, Junmyeon found himself on ER duty last night for the first time in a long time. He got so exhausted yesterday, he couldn’t even spend much time thinking about Yifan, which was very much welcome.

But now as he heads back home in a taxi, the rain is already at its strongest and the water cascading down the window is like a sheet of grey obscuring the outside world. The taxi driver has put in a slow song and the air conditioner is pleasant, and he soon spirals down into his thoughts, the one labelled ‘Please Ignore’ and stashed away at the deep end of his mind. He closes his eyes and leans back into the seat; the driver starts humming along to the song and it lulls him to sleep. He dreams a little, of the past and of the present. They blend, and in the dream, Junmyeon isn’t too sure what he is seeing.

_Long-haired, ponytailed Yifan is holding his hands and pulling him down a narrow lane. But it isn’t dark, it is as bright as the longest day of summer, and Junmyeon is not scared, he is laughing and so is Yifan. Dream Junmyeon is twenty-nine and he wonders why Yifan hasn’t grown any older._

_They suddenly halt and they run into an open ground. The area looks familiar but Junmyeon cannot recognise it right now. Yifan pulls him close and wraps his arms around his waist. Junmyeon is taken aback how skinny teenager Yifan is, or used to be. But with him pressed so close, he relishes the warmth radiating from the other’s body. He is still way taller than him and he looks down at him, with that gummy smile that he used to call ugly (it is adorable now). Yifan’s dark eyes are soft, unusually so and Junmyeon’s breath catches. His hands reach up on their own and he cups Yifan’s face. Teenager Yifan’s face has a few pimples here and there, and Junmyeon’s heart lurches with nostalgia._

_Yifan puts his larger hands on Junmyeon’s and says, “I am not fifteen anymore you know.”_

_Junmyeon is surprised by this statement, but he says, “I know.”_

_Yifan’s eyes become sad. “Then why are you so afraid to let me in now?”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_Yifan slides Junmyeon’s hands off his face and cups the latter’s neck. He leans closer and lightly brushes his lips against Junmyeon’s temple. The shorter gasps, but he doesn’t pull back. His lips are so soft and warm against his skin—it feels nice. Yifan drops another kiss on his eyelid, and it is so tender, that he wants to melt. Yifan asks, “What are you afraid of Junmyeon?”_

_When Junmyeon opens his eyes, Yifan is no longer a teenager. He is even taller and his hair is cropped short with the bangs falling into his sad eyes. Junmyeon is looking up at the older Yifan when he whispers, “Because…”_

“Sir?” a loud voice jolts Junmyeon awake. He opens his eyes to find the driver calling him. “We are here sir. But the security won’t let me in.”

Junmyeon forces himself awake, though the dream and its remnants tries to pull him back. He shakes his head and wills himself to keep his eyes open. They are at the gate to Yifan’s house. His voice is dry as he croaks, “Open the window please, they know me.”

The driver does as he says and when a security guard peeks in, he bows in apology as he identifies Junmyeon and quickly opens the gate. The taxi crawls up the driveway and stops in front of the porch. Junmyeon pays his fare and dashes out of the car. He still gets wet, but not too much and rings the doorbell. As soon as the door opens, he is startled by the loud, “Ahn Junhyung I swear!”

Sunny opens the door for him and sighs, “Yifan is trying to get the twins. They need a bath and they refuse to cooperate.”

Junmyeon chuckles as he enters. “What’s new?”

Sunny moves to the side to let him in and as soon as the front door clicks in place, the twins, followed by Yifan come running towards the landing. Junseo is quickly caught by Yifan and starts protesting, while Junhyung slips like an eel and rushes downstairs. Junmyeon drops his bag and grabs Junhyung as soon the boy reaches the last step. He frowns when he looks down at the child squirming in his grip; he is covered in mud from his head to toe. Junmyeon looks up at Junseo struggling in Yifan’s hold and it is the same story with him. Junmyeon asks, “Sorry to state the obvious, but why are these two covered in mud?”

Sunny sighs. “I got a little late in bringing them home today, so as an apology, I told them we can go to the park and play. It started raining an hour later and we took refuge in a shop, but as soon as I turned my back, they were out of the shop and playing in the rain and wrestling in the mud.”

Junmyeon scowls down at Junseo, “Great. Do you know how many germs and other nasty things you two rolled around in? Not only that, you also got wet in this rain. If you two fall sick, I will make sure none of you see an ice cream for the next two months.”

Junseo and Junhyung both start shrieking in protest. Yifan starts laughing; Junmyeon’s brand of discipline is truly effective. The children feel sorry and stop struggling. Sunny chuckles, “Serves you two right. Hey, Junmyeon can you help Yifan? I was thinking of making them some lemon tea. Would you like some too?”

Junmyeon nods. Sunny goes towards the kitchen as Junmyeon walks upstairs. The brothers share doleful looks and though it wasn’t Junmyeon’s plan to make them upset, they did play in the mud and bothered Sunny. As they walk towards the twins’ room, Yifan absently says, “You make a good parent, you know.” The comment somehow throws Junmyeon out of the loop. _Parent?_

They put the boys down and they sluggishly enter the bathroom with the adults following them. The mud on their skin has dried down and both would need a thorough scrub down. Yifan coaxes them into taking their clothes off while Junmyeon turns on the taps. When the temperature is just right, he scowls at the twins and points towards the water. The children make long faces but scurry inside the tub anyway. Junmyeon keeps the water till their ankles, since it would get dirty soon anyway. He rolls up his sleeve and the hem of his jeans as he sits on the edge of the tub. He says to Yifan, “Grab the shampoo and soap.”

“Already here!” Yifan hands Junmyeon the soap. “You clean their faces while I do the hair?”

“Okay.”

Junmyeon starts with Junseo who pouts at him. “Moonmoon? Will you really not us let eat any ice cream if we get sick?”

Though Junmyeon is weak for the pout, he maintains his resolve. “Yes, only if you don’t get sick.”

Junhyung, with his eyes closed and head lost underneath suds, shouts, “We won’t! And we won’t play in the mud ever again!”

Junseo seconds his brother. “Yep! Otherwise who will eat the chocolate ice cream Fanfan bought yesterday! He didn’t let us eat it though, he said we will open it when Moonmoon comes home.” Then he adds with a whine, “But you came home so late yesterday!”

Junmyeon eyes Yifan, who has started to blush for some reason. “Fanfan got chocolate ice cream…” And then it hits him—and now he is the one blushing. He didn’t get to eat his ice cream two days ago after all. “Oh. We shall see, okay?”

Junseo claps. “Yes!”

Junmyeon is done scrubbing the caked mud from Junseo’s body and passes him onto Yifan, who hands him Junhyung. Junseo starts talking about his day and his brother joins in as Yifan shampoos his hair and Junmyeon scrubs Junhyung’s back. Junseo asks, “Moonmoon?” When Junmyeon hums, the boy continues, “You came home early today!”

Junmyeon chuckles. “Well, I took a half day. I came very late last night after all.”

“Oh,” Junseo purses his lips and nods. He closes his eyes as Yifan washes the suds off. The water has turned muddy, so Junmyeon unplugs it to let it drain and starts to fill the tub again. Junhyung too is clean enough and he is still inside the tub when the boy slams his hands on the water’s surface and a stream of water hits Junmyeon’s face. He shouts in surprise, “Junhyung!”

The twins cackle and Yifan joins them. Junmyeon frowns, and grabs the hand shower. He turns it on and Yifan now has a mouthful of water. The twins’ squeal in delight as Yifan splutters and looks aghast at Junmyeon, who smirks. Then, Yifan scowls and exacts his revenge vicariously when Junseo sends a wave at Junmyeon, drenching his shirt, and cries, “No one attacks my Fanfan!”

The twins take sides—Junseo protects his Fanfan while Junhyung valiantly defends his Moonmoon—and soon enough, a full-on water fight starts between them, and the adults get caught in it as well. Junmyeon and Yifan get caught up in the children’s delight and by the time, they stop, the boys are the lightest shade of red due to being in the hot water for so long and both adults are drenched from their heads to waists. The adults drag the kids out of the tub with more protests from them about not wanting to stop playing in the water. They manage to dry the twins down and have wrapped them in fluffy bathrobes when Junmyeon eyes the now messed up bathroom and sighs, “We gotta clean this up.”

Yifan snorts. “Let’s get these two demons dressed first, or else there will be more running down the corridor naked.”

Junmyeon laughs and Yifan entrusts the kids to him as he starts straightening the bathroom a little. When Junmyeon has dressed the twins, he returns to the bathroom as soon as the twins speed out of the room. He walks inside and finds Yifan rubbing his eye. Junmyeon clicks his tongue, “You know, kid or adult, you really mustn’t rub your eyes.”

Yifan opens one eye, the other still covered by his knuckle. He pouts, “Listen, something went in my eye. I am not doing this for the heck of it.”

Junmyeon scoffs and pushes Yifan down on the closed toilet lid. He pulls Yifan’s hand down and leans in close to gently pry his eyes open. Yifan has managed to rub it red; there is a single tear running down his face. Junmyeon carefully pulls the skin underneath his eye down and says, “You got an eyelash in there.”

“Well it is annoying.”

“I am trying Yifan. Now look up.” Yifan obeys and Junmyeon very carefully removes the eyelash caught extremely close to his tear duct. He realises how close his face is to Yifan’s. He can see the other’s five o’ clock shadow and his chapped lips; and his gaze travels downwards, he notices how the wet t-shirt sticks to Yifan’s body. He swallows and quickly leans back. His dream becomes all too clear in his head and the warmth of dream Yifan’s lips and body comes back, with a vengeance, to haunt him.

Yifan sighs in relief. “Thanks.” He turns to Junmyeon, who is now washing his hands in the basin. He notices how red Junmyeon’s face and neck is. He scowls in confusion; did he do something unknowingly again? He presses his hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder and the latter jumps a little in surprise. His wet bangs fall into his eyes as he stutters with that pink mouth of his, “Y-yifan?”

Yifan had something to say, but he forgets it as he finds all his attention taken by the thin lips with the mole on top and his gaze flicks downward, to the pale smooth expanse of skin and the collarbones peeking through his shirt’s collar, and his throat feels parched all of a sudden. Junmyeon is so pale, so small and his heart thuds. With much effort, he looks back into Junmyeon’s eyes, which are still confused, and his mouth is still open. Yifan unconsciously closes the distance between them, and Junmyeon doesn’t move back, instead grabs the edge of the basin.

Junmyeon’s knuckles turn white and he stops breathing. Yifan’s gaze on him so intense—he has never seen this look in his eyes before. He is confused and he feels hot, because the proximity is dangerous and his head swims, but his legs _refuse_ to move. However, whatever spell was put on them, breaks, when Sunny shouts, “Junmyeon? Your tea will get cold!”

Junmyeon staggers back and Yifan takes his hand back. Yifan leaves the bathroom first and he feels like he ran a mile, based on how fast his heart is beating. He rushes to his room upstairs and pushes the latch on the trapdoor. He kneels beside it and bangs his fist on the floor in frustration. He really, really likes Junmyeon, and he doesn’t know what to do about that. He is afraid of his feelings now. After all, what are the chances of Junmyeon feeling the same? He knows this cannot end well; he bangs his fist on the floor again as he curses himself and wishes he never became aware of his feelings for the other.

Junmyeon, meanwhile, collects himself and heads back to his room. He changes out of wet clothes and heads downstairs. He joins the twins and Sunny, and even though he joins in their conversation over lemon tea and potato pancakes, his mind remains back at the bathroom with Yifan.

 

Next day, preparations are in full swing to get all the decorations in place. Even though the birthday is on Monday, they are holding the party on Sunday as Monday is a school day. Since it can rain anytime, the party is indoors and between Seohyun and Sunny, the house has been transformed. Junmyeon and Jihyun make the twins’ favourite breakfast while Yifan is tasked to dress them up. Seohyun and Sunny had shopped for them a week ago, and Junmyeon is patiently waiting to see what they got the children.

Junseo and Junhyung soon race into the kitchen, and Junmyeon cannot stop his cooing when he sees them. They rush up to their uncle and ask in chorus, “How do we look?”

Junmyeon laughs and pinches Junseo’s cheeks. “Very handsome.” They are both dressed in matching suits but in different colours—Junseo picked red, Junhyung chose orange. They have accessorised it with matching polka dotted bowties and Yifan has pushed their hair back. They do look very good and Junmyeon takes some pictures with his new camera. Jihyun too looks very nice in her polka dotted dress and puts a yellow ribbon in her hair to match her brothers.

Yifan strolls over to the sudden photoshoot in the kitchen and laughs at the various silly poses the siblings do. The twins drag Yifan and Junmyeon hesitates when their eyes meet. Whatever happened last night is still a fresh memory, but Yifan tries to behave normally, so he jibes, “So photographer Kim, are you going to take our picture or no?”

Junmyeon tries to smile and picks up his camera again. The children call the shots and make Yifan do silly poses with them. Junmyeon laughs as some of the tension dissipates in the atmosphere. A few more pictures later, Seohyun enters the kitchen and smiles. Suddenly, she says, “Hey, Junmyeon! What are you doing?” She blocks his view and jerks her head back, “Go join them and let me take a picture of you all.”

Junmyeon nods and entrusts his precious camera to Seohyun. A couple of pictures later, Yifan and Junmyeon find themselves standing beside each other. They both flush and when Seohyun instructs, “Hey Yifan, bring Junmyeon closer!” The men miss her smirk when Junmyeon comes closer to Yifan and presses his shoulder against Yifan’s arm. Yifan throws his arms around Junmyeon again and this time Junmyeon doesn’t look away, even though is heart thuds hard in his chest. “Much better! Now say cheese!”

The children shout and the adults grin as the shutter clicks. Yifan quickly removes his hand and shuffles away. He murmurs, “Uh, we need to get the cake.”

Junmyeon remembers as well. “Oh, yeah. Let’s go.”

As Seohyun hands the camera back to Junmyeon, she advises, “Tell Mr Do to meet you at the hotel’s back or something. Today’s Sunday, the place would be filled with people.”

Yifan raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, you are right. Let me call him…” he saunters out of the kitchen with his phone in hand.

Seohyun points at the camera in Junmyeon’s hand. “That’s a Leica camera, isn’t it?”

Junmyeon smiles. “Yeah. Yifan gave me this on my birthday.”

Seohyun widens her eyes. “Oh? Wow,” she giggles. “I’ll be damned.”

Junmyeon frowns. “What do you mean?”

Seohyun shakes her head. “No, it’s just, Yifan is kind of an uncle Scrooge? I think his bike, car, this house and that TV of his are the only extravagant purchases he has ever made! I am just surprised he bought something like this camera for you. I guess he is changing his miserly ways then. Good for him!” She smiles and flicks her hair over her shoulder as she walks out of the kitchen.

Seohyun’s words linger and Junmyeon recalls what Yifan said to him yesterday. _“Just because I am rich doesn’t mean I am going to spend my money mindlessly.”_ Yifan still got him this, and Junmyeon looks down at it, frowning and wondering why Yifan would, that too, _for him?_

 

They are at the back of the hotel, waiting for Kyungsoo to arrive with their order. Ten minutes later, Kyungsoo shows up with two assistants in tow. Yifan quickly opens the backdoor, and Kyungsoo, with his assistants carefully place the package on it. Yifan takes a quick peek and grins at Kyungsoo, “You have surpassed yourself.”

Kyungsoo casually shrugs. “Well, I try.”

Yifan is about to say something else when someone says, “Junmyeon hyung?” He looks behind him to see one of Kyungsoo’s assistants pulling Junmyeon into an embrace. Yifan frowns and his frown deepens when Junmyeon hugs the stranger back. When Junmyeon pulls back, he is beaming as he says, “Jungkook? What are you doing here?”

Jungkook still has his hands on Junmyeon’s shoulders as he laughs, “Well, I am chef Do’s main assistant.”

Junmyeon laughs. “The world is a small place, isn’t it?”

Jungkook laughs back. “Oh my god, you all but disappeared after you entered med school! I haven’t seen you in so long! Give me your number hyung!”

Then to Yifan’s complete dismay, Junmyeon and Jungkook exchange numbers. He remembers a chubby-faced junior from school, but nine years later, the handsome young man standing in front of him faintly resembles the kid he saw kissing Junmyeon on the backstairs. He fists his hands as Jungkook says, after pocketing his phone, “Let’s meet someday, I have so much to tell you.”

Junmyeon smiles and his eyes turn into crescents and Yifan’s knuckles turn white. “Yes, absolutely. I got a lot to say too!”

Jungkook chuckles. “Yeah I know. You are everywhere on the internet now, aren’t you?” He looks at Yifan and bows with a wide grin on his face. “Hello Mr Wu, I am a big fan.”

Yifan bows back and his smile is tight. “Nice to meet you. We went to the same school after all.”

Jungkook grin broadens. “Oh my god, you remember! I am so honoured!”

Kyungsoo puts his hands on his hips and smiles. “The world is such a small place, eh?”

Yifan hardens his jaw and says, “Yeah, it is truly _such_ a small place.”

Even though Kyungsoo and Jungkook do not hear the tension in Yifan’s tone, Junmyeon does and he wonders what that is about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE writing dumb dumb Yifan and Junmyeon, okay. Anyhoo, I have planned the smut at the very end so...yeah be patient all you thirsty people. XD


	14. Chapter 14

The twins aren’t shown their birthday cake, no matter how they whined and pouted and shot their best puppy eyes to their uncles. An hour later, the guests start to arrive. The guest list is mostly Junseo and Junhyung’s preschool friends and some of Jihyun’s friends. The mothers who drop their kids stay a minute extra just ogling Yifan and gushing about him. Yifan takes all of it in his stride and it is only when Taecyeon comes to stand behind him in his trademark glasses, do those women leave. Junmyeon had invited Namjoon and Seokjin, but he isn’t counting on Namjoon to come. He knows his friend is busy, however, it surprised him nevertheless when both halves of the engaged couple arrive with their hands laden with gifts.

Junmyeon welcomes Seokjin and Namjoon inside with the former gaping at the interiors, “Hyung, his house is beautiful.”

Junmyeon laughs and glances around him. He no longer despises this house, he realises. He agrees with Seokjin, “Yeah, I know.”

Seokjin then grabs Junmyeon’s upper arm and grins, “Now, introduce me to Yifan please, please!”

Namjoon frowns and acts upset as he places a hand on his chest and sighs, “Junmyeon hyung, can you make sure he doesn’t elope with the man of his dreams?”

Junmyeon bites back his laughter and with all seriousness, nods and deadpans, “You can count on me Namjoon. I shall save your man from getting seduced by the celebrity.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes at their antics and Junmyeon obliges. He finds Yifan amidst half a dozen kids, playing with them, and it warms Junmyeon’s heart. Yifan notices Junmyeon approaching him, and his smile drops when he recognises the man beside him. He was the one who dropped Junmyeon home that day. He gets to his feet as Junmyeon says, “Yifan? This is Kim Seokjin, Namjoon’s fiancé. He has wanted to meet you for ages.”

The word ‘fiancé’ feels like a slap to his face. Seokjin blushes and shakes his hand and the usual spiel of being the biggest fan continues, but Yifan’s mind is racing and he feels ashamed. He shouldn’t have assumed. They are just friends and Yifan feels like an idiot for jumping to conclusions. He smiles back and tries to talk with Seokjin, and it surprises him when he gets to know the man is behind one of the most popular food reality shows in the country right now. Yifan widens his eyes, “I caught a few episodes. The show is honestly very funny.”

Seokjin bows and his face is red when he says, “Oh, thank you! I feel so honoured!”

Yifan and Seokjin continue talking as Junmyeon moves away, walking over to check on the other guests. He finds Jihyun showing Namjoon around and when the adults’ eyes meet, Namjoon nods his head and by the look in his eyes, Junmyeon understands that the therapist wants to talk to him. Jihyun’s friends find her and take her away, Namjoon walks over to Junmyeon and says, “Can we talk?”

Junmyeon says, “Sure. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

They enter the kitchen, which is empty and they sit down on the dining table. Namjoon leans forward on the table and presses his lips together, “I know I am breaking some rules, but I feel I like should tell you this.”

Junmyeon frowns, “Tell me what?”

“About Jihyun. Junmyeon, she has started to adjust well here, you know. And she loves you both, a lot. She doesn’t outright say it, but she implies it in so many ways.”

Junmyeon looks down at his hands as his heart swells in happiness and he smiles, “I am glad she likes it here you know. I was so worried that she wouldn’t.”

Namjoon shakes his head and laughs. “No, Junmyeon, both of you are doing an excellent job. Yifan and you are doing right by all three of them. But, there’s something…”

Namjoon’s frown alarms Junmyeon. “What is it Namjoon?”

“She is easily affected by you two, you know. When you two were fighting a few months ago, she was very upset. But when you fixed your issues, her mood improved too. She knows you two are the only people she has left in this world, and she is afraid that you would leave her too, or that she would lose you both. Do you, do you understand what I am trying to say?”

Junmyeon sighs. Yes, he does get what Namjoon means. He says, “It means Yifan and I have to make sure not to fight in front of her.”

Namjoon nods. “That, and she is smart you know, even if you don’t fight in front of her, she will know. She is a great kid Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon beams at Namjoon when he praises Jihyun. He decides to talk to Yifan about this because when the year ends, things are bound to become more complicated. And he knows now the resolution of this custody conundrum is bound to be get more difficult in the face of this new information.

 

A few days later, Junmyeon finds himself doing another double shift. He doesn’t complain because he knows he can ask for another day off soon in return. He loves his job, he does, but sometimes when every muscle from his waist to ankles hurt, he just wants to take a nap for two days. He texts Yifan and Sunny to let them know he most probably would not return home before two in the morning.

Yifan grumbles when he finds the text from Junmyeon at six in the evening. He has two days off and he was planning to take all of them out sometime. He chucks his phone away and lies down on his bed. the kids are doing their homework in his room and their light banter filters through his ears. Junseo and Jihyun are arguing about something with Junhyung giggling beside them. Yifan walks up to the bookshelf and pulls out a book at random. To his surprise, he finds the _Works of William Henley,_ and with it, an old memory of Junmyeon standing here, in front of the bookshelf, with his head bowed down resurfaces and he remembers how close he was standing to him and how Yifan didn’t hate the proximity. He frowns, if he only realised his feelings for the other recently, why didn’t he oppose getting close to Junmyeon all those months ago?

He takes the book to his bed and lies down again. Junhyung notices and skips over to the bed. He peeks at the book in Yifan’s hands and asks, “What are you reading?”

Yifan replies, “Poetry.”

Junhyung comes closer and puts his head between Yifan’s face and the book. He frowns and asks with a very concerned voice, “Eww Fanfan, your book has no pictures.”

Yifan chortles. “Adult books have no pictures kid.”

Junhyung clicks his tongue. “How boring.” He gets down from the bed and re-joins his siblings.

Yifan’s phone buzzes and he picks it up to see Seohyun texting him. He opens the text and he starts scowling when he reads her message. He opens the link she sent and his eyes widen when he sees the high-quality pictures of him and Junmyeon in Myeongdong. The fansite managed to capture the exact moment Yifan had grabbed Junmyeon’s hand to pull him in one of those many serpentine lanes. The caption makes him furious: _Is Wu Yifan really dating Dr Kim Junmyeon?_ The rest of the articles has steam furling out of his ears.

_Yifan is dating the doctor now? Does their cohabitation have other purposes than taking care of three children? The pictures taken two weeks ago begs for another look at their relationship. Though Yifan hasn’t made any statements, the intimate lunch date they had may further prove that they are, in fact, dating._

Yifan is tempted to check the comments but he suppresses it and throws his phone away. He sighs and rubs his face. He thinks for a while before picking his phone up again. He dials his manager and when Minseok picks up the phone in one ring, he gets straight to the point. “Minseok, you need to get this article down. I don’t want Junmyeon to find this.”

A beat of silence follows, and he knows Minseok is with Seohyun when he hears her voice explaining to him. Minseok’s voice is edged with anger when he says, “This is a serious breach of privacy!”

“I know, look just get this article down. No need to sue people or anything. Just get this article off the net, I don’t want Junmyeon to see it and get mad at me again, okay?”

“Okay, I will see what I can do.”

Yifan sighs and drops the call. He doesn’t want Junmyeon to see it and seethe at him again. He knows the other just keeps getting caught up in the mess his celebrity life creates, and how he wished it wasn’t so. He wants to protect Junmyeon; he doesn’t want anyone to hound him and ask him questions. What if this ruins what little relationship they have built between them? He can safely assume they are friends now, and he doesn’t want to lose that, doesn’t want to get back to square one. He rubs his face, his heart sinking and his mood worsening. He needs to stop, he doesn’t need to dwell on all the negativity; he knows Minseok can handle this. He eventually sits up and smiles, “Hey little people, what do you think about eating out tonight?” He is met with gleeful shouts of agreement.

 

Yifan returned with the kids near to nine; Sunny and Taecyeon accompanied them, and by Yifan’s insistence, Taecyeon agreed to stay the night, which made the twins very happy and soon the bodyguard was on the floor with them in the living room watching a cartoon show. Yifan went to bed by eleven and he slept for some hours before he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

He blinks and he looks for his phone to check the time. He sees it is three in the morning, and the first thing he thinks about is to check if Junmyeon returned home or not. When he gets to Junmyeon’s room, he finds it dark and empty. He frowns and gets worried. He decides to call Junmyeon and to his relief, the latter picks up in two rings. Junmyeon on the other end sounds worried, “Yifan? What is it? Everything okay?”

Yifan says, “No, no, we are fine. It’s just, you said you will be here by two, but it’s three now.”

Junmyeon sighs. “I am sorry Yifan. I don’t think I can leave before five. A building caught fire around midnight and more than fifty people ended up here, and some of them are seriously injured, so…”

“Okay, I understand. I am sorry I bothered you, go back to work.”

“No, no, I am taking a coffee break and I should have texted you, I guess.”

Yifan smiles. “That’s alright. I was just worried. Now, go on and don’t drink too much coffee.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You go back to sleep.”

Yifan smiles as he disconnects the call. Junmyeon works so hard and he is sometimes proud of the other, even though he knows Junmyeon doesn’t think too highly of him and his profession. But that’s alright, he doesn’t mind. He decides to go back to bed for the meantime.

When Yifan wakes up again, the sun is up and he sees it is six forty. He is walking down the corridor when he notices that Junmyeon still hasn’t returned. He frowns, it has been nearly twenty-four hours since Junmyeon has been on duty. He rushes back to his bedroom, gets dressed and grabs the keys to his bike.

Due to the early hours, Yifan doesn’t encounter any traffic and arrives at Asan within half an hour. He dials Junmyeon’s number after he parks his bike right in front of the hospital. When Junmyeon takes the call, Yifan can _hear_ how tired he is. “Yifan? I am sorry, I shoul—”

“Come outside, I am taking you home,” Yifan says in a firm tone.

Junmyeon is stunned, he doesn’t say anything for a moment. “Outside?”

“Outside the hospital. We are going home, come on.”

“I—”

“Do you want me to drag you out, because you know I will.”

Junmyeon huffs. “Fine, give me five minutes.”

True to his words, Junmyeon shows up at the entrance in five minutes in dishevelled hair and spectacles. Yifan waves at him and Junmyeon frowns but makes his way down the stairs anyway. He eyes the bike and before he can comment on it, Yifan asks, “Are you hungry?”

“Asking a person who has been running on Snickers and coffee if he is hungry is a stupid thing,” Junmyeon grins. “Why? Do you have food stashed somewhere?”

Yifan grins and shakes his head. “No, just I was hoping to get breakfast together if you don’t mind.” This idea came to him just now as he took in Junmyeon’s tired appearance. Therefore, he safely surmised the other needs to eat.

Junmyeon raises his eyebrows in surprise, but he doesn’t look too against the idea, since he smiles, “Sure! I am hungry, so damn hungry I swear.” Junmyeon pouts and Yifan cannot help but smile at that. So, before he could control his limbs, he ends up ruffling Junmyeon’s already messy hair. The shorter widens his eyes at surprise, and Yifan laughs as he pulls away his hands. Junmyeon’s hair _is_ as soft as it looks—one of Yifan’s many curiosities are sated, for now.

Yifan tosses his extra helmet to Junmyeon, who struggles to put it on. Once Junmyeon is ready, Yifan swings his long leg over the seat and Junmyeon gapes a little at how effortlessly Yifan does that. It was almost, kind of, sexy? He shakes his head to get rid of such thoughts and gets on behind Yifan, and then the real issue arises. They are on a bike, where they have to be seated closely and Yifan is only in a plain black t-shirt, so now Junmyeon doesn’t know where he is supposed to hold on for support.

Yifan starts the bike and looks over his shoulder, glasses in place. “Hold on tightly, okay? Can’t have the doctor falling off my bike.”

Junmyeon blushes at the comment and decides to grab the hem of Yifan’s t-shirt. He hears Yifan scoffing, but he pays him no mind as the latter gets on the road. The wind whips over Junmyeon’s face and his spectacles don’t provide much protection, and soon they are watering. Then, at an especially sharp turn, his hands move and now is wrapped around Yifan’s waist like his life depends on it. It is also now that Junmyeon decides he _hates_ riding on bikes.

Yifan on the other hand is slowly freaking out in his mind. At the beginning, Junmyeon maintained some space between them, but as he took the right of the intersection, he picked up speed, and when he did he felt Junmyeon pressing into him, winding his hands around his waist. His heart palpitates at the way one of Junmyeon’s hand is splayed under his ribs. He is afraid that the other might feel how hard is heart is beating.

After a few minutes, Yifan stops in front of a building in Hongdae. Junmyeon still has his hands around Yifan and the latter realises the doctor is probably unused to bike rides. He smiles as he places his hand over Junmyeon’s, which makes the latter gasp and pull his hands away quickly. Yifan gets down from the bike first, removes his helmet and then proceeds to remove Junmyeon’s helmet, who blinks at him with wide, scared eyes. Yifan frowns, “Are you okay?”

Junmyeon whispers, “How do people even sit on bikes?” He scrambles down the seat and waves his hand over the Ducati, “Like how can people sit on it without support? There are just walls of air around me and I don’t understand how people hold on!”

Yifan claps a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. However, Junmyeon realises that and stomps his feet with a pout on his face. Yifan finds himself unable to control his hands as the move to touch Junmyeon’s hair again.

The last time Junmyeon didn’t respond because he was shocked, but this time, he glares and pushes Yifan’s hand away. “I am dying here and you don’t care!”

Yifan chuckles, “I am sorry, it is hard to take you seriously because you look so cute when you are angry!”

Junmyeon’s glare drops and Yifan abruptly stops mid-laughter at his words. Yifan bites his lip, wishing he could take it back while Junmyeon looks to the side with his face feeling warm, incredibly so. _Yifan finds him_ cute?

The silence is awkward and Junmyeon hates it, so he clears his throat and says, “So, uh, where are we?”

Yifan gets over his slip of tongue quick, and he is back to smiling as he says, “Country House, I think you will like it. I know the owner!”

“Do you know every restaurant owner in Seoul?” Junmyeon asks as they climb up the stairs leading to the restaurant.

Yifan laughs, feeling greatly at ease that they are back to their usual banter. “No, he actually wanted to become an idol, but then an accident made him realise what he really wanted to do, so here he is!”

They are at the entrance; the door is wooden and looks very charming in a rustic way. Suddenly, Junmyeon gets a thought, “Um, we are here before opening hours, aren’t we?”

“Don’t worry,” Yifan smiles. “He won’t tell me no.” He pushes the door open and a tall man with his long black hair in a ponytail and chef’s white is standing at the entrance, talking to another man, shorter and with bangs sweeping over his eyes. The shorter man smiles up at Yifan, “Wu Yifan! It has been a while!”

“Yep,” Yifan chuckles and the two men embrace. “I see you two are doing well.”

The man rolls his eyes, “Sure. Your friend is a handful, it’s a miracle we are doing well.” The taller man opens his mouth to protest, but right then the shorter man’s gaze lands on Junmyeon, and he says, all excited, “And who is that?”

Junmyeon comes forward and bows. “I am Kim Junmyeon.”

Yifan smiles, “He is a friend.” His eyes flick over to Junmyeon, who is trying very hard to not smile.

“Oh! Right, I saw you on TV. My condolences,” he bows before continuing, “I am Zhang Yixing and this tall man with the impressive poker face is my husband, Jung Taekwoon.”

Taekwoon puts his hands on his hips and glares a little at his better half. Yifan laughs, “Taekwoon is the friend I was talking about, Yixing just comes along with him.”

Yixing pulls on Yifan’s ears, which makes Junmyeon laugh. “I will have you know that is not true.”

Taekwoon rescues his friend from Yixing’s torment. Yifan is rubbing his ears and starring daggers at Yixing, who simply smiles, showing off his dimples. Taekwoon grunts, “Seriously, you are scaring Mr Kim here.”

Junmyeon waves his hand and grins. “No, it is okay. I have seen worse.”

Yixing laughs, “I will trust you on that!” He claps his hands, “Now I suppose you came to eat, so, after me!”

Taekwoon pats Yifan’s back and asks, “You on a diet?”

“Yep, again,” Yifan ruefully replies.

“Okay,” Taekwoon looks at Junmyeon, “Would you like our house special?”

Junmyeon nods. “I’d like that very much!”

Taekwoon returns to the kitchen as Yixing takes the two of them to a seat by the window. The restaurant has two storeys and wooden floors. The tables are all wrought iron painted in various pastel shades. They are ushered to a seat with vibrant teal cushions and Junmyeon happily sinks into one. Yixing grins after they are settled in, “Lucky for you guys that it is still one hour till opening and Taekwoon can personally cook for you two.”

Yifan yawns. “Lucky, indeed.”

Yixing chuckles, “Coffee for this one then.”

“Yes please.”

“And you, Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon is about to refuse when Yifan answers in his stead, “None for him. He has been up for nearly twenty-four hours.”

Yixing raises his eyebrows. “What? Are you a student? You look young enough to be one.”

Junmyeon feels his face getting warm again as he shakes his head. “No, no, I am a doctor. And yeah, Yifan’s right, I don’t think I need any more coffee.”

Yixing smiles. “Well, I will bring you some green tea then.” He skips away before Junmyeon can say anything about that.

Yifan smiles, “Forget about it. He does as he pleases.”

Junmyeon places his hands on the table and watches Hongdae outside his window slowly come to life. The café opposite them opens and no sooner have they pulled the shutter up, a woman steps inside. Caffeine is such a necessity. Junmyeon says, “They look nice together.”

Yifan snorts. “Yeah, they do.”

Junmyeon looks back at Yifan and frowns. “Why did you snort?”

“They met in culinary school and Yixing was a transfer student. Taekwoon spoke no Mandarin and Yixing’s grip on Korean was negligible initially. When Yixing first tried to talk to Taekwoon during a class, he mispronounced the word pepper and called Taekwoon oppa.” Junmyeon presses the back of his hands on his mouth to stop laughing. Yifan can hardly control his laughter as he continues, “So, the first thing Yixing ever said to his future husband was, ‘Oppa, do you have some penis I can use?’”

Junmyeon cannot control it anymore and neither can Yifan as they both start guffawing loud enough to startle the waiter who is heading towards them with Junmyeon’s tea. Soon, their food arrives; Junmyeon gets waffles while Yifan gets a fruit bowl, some bread and his coffee. The waffle is perfect and Junmyeon can’t help but sing his praises to Taekwoon, who starts blushing madly. Slowly, other customers start arriving and Yifan puts his glasses back on. Junmyeon’s happy mood dampens a little as he realises he doesn’t want a repeat of that day. He finishes eating the berries on his plate before saying, “We need to leave now, don’t we?”

Yifan nods his head and he looks upset, even though Junmyeon can’t see his eyes through the dark glasses. Yixing refuses payment from him and escorts them outside with a promise from Yifan to visit them soon with Junmyeon and the kids. As Yifan turns around to get down the stairs, he halts and his mouth drops. Junmyeon frowns and when his eyes follow Yifan’s vision, he too gasps.

Oh Sehun, dressed in all black and looking like he stepped off a runway, is leaning against Yifan’s bike and he doesn’t look too happy. His eyes rake over Junmyeon and his frown deepens. Behind him, he can hear Yixing mutter, “Isn’t that…”

Yifan turns around taking his glasses off and asks Yixing, “Can you…” he jerks his head towards Junmyeon and Yixing gets his nonverbal request immediately. He grabs Junmyeon’s forearm and asks, “Hey, do you want to see something cool?”

Junmyeon is shocked, upset even, but right now as he looks back at Yifan, he can see the pleading in his eyes, so he swallows the strange anger and disappointment bubbling inside him as he lets Yixing drag him inside. As the door closes behind him, he hears Yifan’s voice, thunderous and agitated, “What are you doing here?” The door shuts and all outside noise gets cut off, so Junmyeon doesn’t hear the reply. He knows why Sehun is here, but, oddly, he wanted to know what Yifan had to say though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Q: When will i stop sneaking Leoxing in my fics?
> 
>  
> 
> A: Probably never


	15. Chapter 15

“What are you doing here?” Yifan shouts, and he instantly regrets his tone of voice when he sees Sehun visibly flinching. He shouldn’t have been so harsh, so he mellows down a little and asks again, “Sehun, what are you doing here?”

Sehun walks closer to him and points to a café behind him. “I come for their coffee and then I saw your bike parked here. You brought me here once, remember?”

Yifan fists his hands, his nails digging into his palm at the morose look in Sehun’s eyes. Yifan knows what Sehun wants, but he cannot give it to him. “Sehun, loo—”

“Are you really with him? The doctor?”

There is hope in Sehun’s eyes and Yifan swallows. That is such a complicated question to ask. Is he with Junmyeon? Of course, he isn’t. Does he want to be? _Yes._ Does that mean he has the guts to confess to Junmyeon how he feels? That is a definite no. Yifan looks away, choosing to stare at a tree nearby than face those morose, hopeful eyes. He shakes his head, “I am not with him.”

Sehun looks down at his boots and sighs. “But you want to be, don’t you?”

Yifan jolts. He looks back at Sehun to find the latter staring holes into his shoes. The tips of his ears are red and Yifan realises just how upset he made Sehun. He inches closer and puts a hand on Sehun’s shoulder. The younger gasps and looks up as Yifan says, “I am sorry Sehun, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have kept you hanging. I am sorry I don’t feel the same way as I do. It is not because Junmyeon is in my life, I wanted to end things a long time ago.”

Sehun takes a step back, his shock clear on his face. He looks close to tears, but he soon collects himself and rubs his face. He has his hand covering his face as he scoffs, “You are cruel Wu Yifan.” Then, before Yifan can get another word in, Sehun turns around and runs down the sidewalk. Yifan has half a mind to follow, but he doesn’t. He looks over his shoulder and he remembers Junmyeon is waiting for him. He sighs and pushes the door open, his mind made up so _easily._

 

Yixing pulls Junmyeon up the stairs, passes the restaurant and moves up another flight of stairs. They stop in front a door and Yixing grins, “We live above it.” He unlocks the door and gently nudges Junmyeon in, “Come in, come in!”

The living room is small and is tastefully decorated in shades of white and blue. One large sofa and an old trunk for a coffee table with a few wrought iron chairs gives the living room a cozy vibe. Yixing ushers Junmyeon over to the sofa and says, “This apartment used to be a storage space. Took me and my husband a year to make it habitable.”

Junmyeon looks around; the cute prints on the wall and the turquoise bureau beside him, and the colourful rug underneath the trunk/table gives some pop of colour, some vibrancy, to the erstwhile cool toned room. He says, “This is very nice.”

“Thank you!” Yixing’s dimples appear. Then his smile drops as he asks, hesitation clear in his voice, “Are you okay?”

Junmyeon gapes as Yixing sits down on one of the chairs in front of him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Yixing frowns, a little confused. He did see the crestfallen look on Junmyeon’s face when Yifan asked him to whisk Junmyeon away. He shakes his head. “It’s just Yifan and Sehun’s relationship is kind of complicated.”

Junmyeon swallows the knot in his throat and leans back into the cushions. “It doesn’t concern me Yixing-sshi.”

Yixing is taken aback, but he says nothing. He can easily see Junmyeon is in denial. Years in the hospitality industry has made him an expert in body language and he can tell by the obvious tension in Junmyeon’s body that he is everything but okay. However, he just met the man today, he doesn’t want poke him too much or try to talk to him about his behaviour. Whatever it is, Kim Junmyeon is _very_ much bothered by Sehun’s sudden appearance—that Yixing can tell.

The bell rings and Junmyeon sits up straight. Yixing gets off his seat in one fluid motion and walks towards the door. When he opens it, Yifan asks, “Junmyeon, is he here?”

“He is here,” Yixing moves aside to let Yifan in.

Junmyeon heard the way Yifan took his name. He sounded guilty, as if half expecting Junmyeon to blow up at him. Their eyes meet and Yifan opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better off it when Junmyeon looks away and bows at Yixing, “Thank you for everything Yixing-sshi. We must head home, I had a very tiring night at the hospital.” And that is Yifan’s cue to shut up.

Yixing’s frown deepens as he flicks his gaze between Yifan and Junmyeon. The tension is so thick in his small apartment right now. Yifan sheepishly smiles at Yixing, “Sorry to bother you.”

Yixing shakes his head and waves him off. Junmyeon tells him goodbye one more time before marching out of the room; Yifan follows with his head bowed.

Junmyeon feels sad, disappointed and angry. He gets to Yifan’s bike first and waits the taller to fish out his keys as he silently fumes. He cannot explain his emotions right now and he knows Yifan wants to say something. But he is afraid he might say something stupid, which might trigger Yifan and then they would end up fighting again. And honestly, he is tired both physically and emotionally to do so. So, he is silent as he wears his helmet and waits for Yifan to do the same.

As soon as they reach home, Yifan parks the bike in the garage and tries to talk again. But Junmyeon mumbles, “I am tired.” Yifan closes his mouth again, still unsure as to what he wants to say exactly. Junmyeon hands him the helmet and walks away. Junmyeon enters the house through the back door and as Yifan watches Junmyeon disappear behind the door, he emits a deep sigh. He wants to grab the roots of his hair and scream in frustration. Why, when he moves three steps ahead with Junmyeon, he somehow manages to fuck things up and end up where they started?

 

Back at Country House, Taekwoon watches his husband stroll into the kitchen with a pout on his face. Yixing hugs him from behind as he stands over the simmering stove and says, “You remember how people would hate to be in the same room with us, before we started dating?”

Taekwoon scoffs. “Yeah, I do. Apparently, the tension between us would stifle them.”

Yixing grins and swiftly kisses Taekwoon’s nape. “They weren’t wrong though!”

Taekwoon smiles as he looks over his shoulder, “Why the question though?”

Yixing gives Taekwoon a sweet smile before saying, his eyes misting over a little in thought, “Nothing, I just realised what they meant when they said they couldn’t be around us.”

Taekwoon returns his attention to the berry compote he is making. He frowns, wanting to ask what Yixing means, but his husband starts nuzzling his face into his neck, which he enjoys, so he doesn’t question it.

 

Junmyeon is tired, so tired, of his feelings and of working for so long. So, when his head hits the pillow, he is instantly knocked out. And he sleeps for so long, the other people in the house get worried. It is close to five in the evening when Yifan decides to go check on Junmyeon. He knocks on Junmyeon’s door, but he gets no response.

Yifan turns the doorknob and he finds it unlocked. He pushes the door open and steps inside. The room is shrouded in twilight, with the pink purple light falling on Junmyeon, who is curled up on the bed. Yifan’s heart twists as he stares at Junmyeon’s small form deeply sleeping, nearly falling off the edge. Yifan leans over the bed and tries to nudge Junmyeon to the centre, lest he actually falls on the floor. Junmyeon doesn’t stir awake, but he makes a grunting noise and turns to his side, scrunches his face for a second. Yifan smiles and before he registers what he is doing, he leans closer and places a gentle kiss on the side of Junmyeon’s temple. He mumbles, “I am sorry.”

Junmyeon doesn’t respond, and Yifan thanks the stars that he doesn’t. Explaining why he kissed and apologised to an awake Junmyeon would be highly difficult for Yifan. He quietly pads put of the room and tries to be as silent as he can as he closes the door. He heaves in relief when he is outside in the corridor.

Meanwhile, Junmyeon, hours later, would wonder if he saw Yifan kissing his temple in his dreams again.

 

A few days later, Park Bom shows up late in the afternoon for a surprise visit. Fortunately, both Yifan and Junmyeon are home. The kids too, are back from their schools, so they hover around the adults as Yifan shows Bom the living room. She accepts Junmyeon’s offer of tea and sits down on the same chair she occupied many months ago. Opposite to her sits Yifan with the twins and Jihyun. Bom smiles, “Hi there, how are you guys?”

Junseo grins, “Oh, we are great!”

“Your uncles taking care of you?”

Yifan wants to roll his eyes at the question. What kind of people does she think he and Junmyeon are? Jihyun replies, “Yes, they take very good care of us.”

“But…” Junhyung pouts as Junmyeon returns and Yifan quickly catches Junmyeon’s eyes and they silently freak out for a while, before the boy continues, “The uncles don’t let me eat ice cream all the time!”

Junseo agrees as Jihyun palms her face. Bom chuckles, “Ah, Junhyung, too much ice cream is bad for you.”

“That’s what Moonmoon says too!” Junseo protests.

Bom smirks, “And you should listen to him, he is a doctor after all.”

Junseo grumbles something under his breath and falls back on the seat. Bom stands and says, “Do you mind if meet the governess?”

“Of course,” Junmyeon nods. “This way.” He looks at Yifan, who gets his silent request and stands up as well. Junmyeon leaves the room first with Bom following him, who is followed by Yifan. They file into the kitchen where Sunny was preparing tea for everyone. Bom turns around and says, “I would like to talk to Miss Lee alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” Yifan says, and with one look at Junmyeon, he steps out of the kitchen, Junmyeon in tow.

They re-enter the living room and find the kids huddled together, intensely discussing something. Yifan breaks them up by saying, “What are you all up to?”

They quickly scatter and Jihyun pouts at her uncles. Her voice wobbles when she says, “They won’t take us away from you, would they?” Junmyeon’s heart skips a beat and he remembers what Namjoon said about the young girl. She is far too perceptive for her age; but the insecurity in her eyes is like a bullet to his heart.

“Will they Fanfan?” Junseo asks, his eyes already welling up.

Yifan moves to comfort the twins while Junmyeon grabs Jihyun and tucks her head against his chest. He gently rocks her and says, “Why would they? If you guys are happy here, they would never.”

“Really?” Jihyun mumbles into Junmyeon’s t-shirt.

Junmyeon cups the back of her head and reassures her, “Yep, they wouldn’t dare take any of you away.”

Junhyung quips from Yifan’s side, “Maybe they should take Junseo away.”

Junseo hears what his brother says and his waterworks start. Yifan shoots Junhyung a glare, who doesn’t look very apologetic. Jihyun raises her head from and scowls at her brother, “Say sorry Jun.”

Junmyeon tries to hold his smile back as Jihyun tries to discipline her brother. Junseo, meanwhile, is still bawling in Yifan’s lap. Junhyung finally withers under his sister’s glare and turning to his twin, cries, “I am sorry Junseo!”

Junseo stops crying and starts hiccupping. Yifan rubs his back and nods. Junseo narrows his eyes at his brother, before nodding his head as a sign of accepting the apology. Junmyeon smiles and decides to make something sweet for the children tonight. Someone clears their throat near the entrance, and when both Yifan and Junmyeon look up, they find Bom smiling at them. She beckons them outside and they leave the children as they join her in the hall.

She says, “I must say, Miss Lee is very adept. I am impressed.”

Junmyeon bows, “I am glad you are.”

“I was watching all of you right now,” she says. “I must say, as foster parents, both of you are doing a very good job. Now, I have to go, thank you for the tea.” She bows and Yifan shows her outside.

When Yifan returns, he finds Junmyeon zoned out again, frowning down at the floor. Yifan asks, “You okay?”

Junmyeon looks up and shakes his head. “Are we parents now?”

Yifan is taken aback at Junmyeon’s words. He never did see the situation as such, however, Miss Park did mention the term “foster parents” and come to think of it, that’s what they have been doing haven’t they? So, after thinking it through, he slowly says, “I think we are Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon sighs and looks back at the ruckus the three children are making in the room. A lot runs through his mind—it is late September now, and sooner or later, a year will be up. Time is running out and Namjoon and Bom all see them as parents to these three orphaned children. If they do go to court, can Junmyeon afford losing? Especially after how he has gotten used to this way of life. He has become attached to the kids, to the house…to Yifan even. He looks back at Yifan, who is looking at him in askance. He thinks how much the kids love their Fanfan and how the older loves them back. Can he sleep in peace if he did win? Can he deprive Yifan? After all, Yifan is a “parent” too now. He tries to put on a smile and shakes his head. “Do you want to help me bake?”

Yifan knows that isn’t what Junmyeon was thinking (but he doesn’t know what Junmyeon was thinking either), but he doesn’t point it out. He smiles back and clasps his hands, “Sous chef Wu at your service!” Junmyeon’s answering chuckle lifts some of the heaviness off the strange tension between them, for now.

 

A few more days pass, and Junmyeon has a day off. He is lying on his bed, wondering what to do, when he gets a message on his phone. He reads the text message and a smile stretches across his face. There, he has something to do for today after all!

A few hours later, he is getting ready to leave when Yifan knocks on his door. He finds the taller dressed in expensive clothes again and he looks good. Junmyeon chooses not to focus on the collarbones peeking through the dark wine silk shirt. Yifan too realises Junmyeon is heading out, as judged by the white button-down and tight, black jeans. He gets transfixed by the denim-clad thighs for a moment, before forcing his gaze upwards. He asks, “You are going out?”

“Yeah, lunch with an old friend,” Junmyeon replies. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, interview at Gangnam. Where are you headed? I could give you a lift?”

Junmyeon bites his lip. “Well, I am going to Gangnam as well.”

Yifan grins, “Then that’s settled. I will drop you, come on.”

Junmyeon tries to refuse, but Yifan doesn’t yield. He grumbles as he collects his wallet and phone. They take the Aston Martin and Junmyeon prays to every god out there that it wasn’t the bike this time. For some reason, he now associates the bike with terrible things (read: supermodel Oh Sehun). The journey to Gangnam is spent amicably talking and trying, on both sides, to not gaze at the other for too long for fear of getting caught.

Junmyeon hates how effortlessly charismatic Yifan looks with three buttons open at the top to his slicked back hair. He put on some earrings on his multiple piercings and a slim silver ring wraps around his ring finger on his right hand. His pants are tailored to fit and Junmyeon feels his mouth going dry at how ­ _well-tailored_ the black dress pants are. In short, Wu Yifan is hot and he may or may not have been blind to this fact.

Every time Junmyeon laughs at something he says, Yifan finds his eyes moving towards him (he is amazed he didn’t run anyone over or be run over). Junmyeon has great thighs, and great arms, and great skin. Just, he is great, Yifan summarises.  His hair is a lot longer now and it falls over his eyes in soft swoops, and it shouldn’t look this good, but it does.

Soon, Junmyeon remembers the restaurant he is supposed to be at, and when he finds it, he tells Yifan to stop. He gets down and waves at Yifan, who waves back with a smile. However, his smile drops when he recognises the guy calling for Junmyeon down the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

Junmyeon turns around and Jeon Jungkook engulfs him in another hug. Yifan drags his teeth over his lip and clutches the steering wheel so hard, the blood circulation gets interrupted and his knuckles turn white. However, Junmyeon seems to only have eyes for Jungkook, completely unware that Yifan is still there, fuming.

Yifan takes a deep, deep breath and collects himself. He is jealous, yes, he accepts that. But there is very little he can do here, so he releases the brakes and drives to his location. He hopes no one asks him stupid questions today at the television interview; his mood for the day has officially gone to hell.


	16. Chapter 16

“Junmyeon hyung!” Jungkook shouts as he walks towards Junmyeon, who raises his hands in greeting. He soon gets engulfed in a hug by the younger and he laughs, still astonished at how touchy-feely Jungkook still is. They separate and Junmyeon thinks he sees the Aston Martin idling on the road from the corner of his eyes. But by the time he turns his head, there is nothing there.

Jungkook drags him inside to a restaurant owned by a friend and as they sit down, the younger eyes gleam, “It is so nice to see you, you know.”

Junmyeon grins. “Likewise, Jungkook.” He leans forward and puts his elbows on the table. “So, tell me, how did you even get into the food industry, because I distinctly remember you couldn’t even boil water properly!”

As Junmyeon chuckles, Jungkook’s face gets red with embarrassment and he whines, “Ah hyung! I was sixteen then! Eleven years have gone by you know!”

Junmyeon wheezes as he picks up the menu, “Sorry, sorry. But seriously, how?”

Jungkook calls for a waiter and they order their food. As soon as the waiter leaves, Jungkook leans forward and smiles, “After you all graduated, I had a massive fracture—”

Junmyeon gasps and widens his eyes, “Oh my god, what happened?”

Jungkook waves his hand. “I got knocked down by a car, nothing major, just a broken leg, but while healing, I would binge watch cooking shows. Somehow, I developed an interest in cooking and when I got all better, I started to buy recipe books and start cooking, just not boil water for ramen.”

Junmyeon claps his hands. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

Jungkook bows his head. “Thank you, thank you. Now, your turn. I mean we all kinda knew you would go for either medical or engineering, but you all but disappeared hyung.”

At Jungkook’s pout, Junmyeon cannot help but laugh. “Sorry about that. I knew life was going to get hard in medical college, but I didn’t think it would get _that_ difficult. I barely had time to breathe…if it wasn’t for Soohyun and Changsun, I would have become a zombie.”

Jungkook’s smile wanes and he looks down at his hands on the table. “Oh, yeah, Changsun hyung and Soohyun noona…I saw it in a newspaper…”

Junmyeon too looks down and tries to stop the sadness from rising from the depths of his heart. It has been months, but he still feels the absence of his best friends acutely. “Yeah…”

A beat of silence passes before Jungkook straightens up. The waiter arrives with their drink. Jungkook takes a sip of his cold coffee before saying. “You and Yifan hyung are taking care of their children, aren’t you?”

Junmyeon stirs his iced peach tea and watches the liquid swirling. “Yup.”

“You know,” Jungkook grins at Junmyeon. “It was kind of shocking to see you and Yifan hyung together.”

Junmyeon looks up with a frown. “Shocking?”

“Yeah, for the first time you two weren’t at each other’s throats? And Yifan hyung was actually not mad at me, even though I guess eleven years is a long time…”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I guess you weren’t aware, but Yifan hyung must have really hated me back in school. I mean, he never talked to me, even when we sat at the same lunch table. He always used to look at me like he would love to punch me or something.”

He vaguely remembers Yifan being double the asshole he usually was when he dated Jungkook. But he never connected his terrible behaviour to Jungkook. “Really? I never noticed.”

“Not surprised at that. I always wondered why…even though…”

“What?”

Jungkook shakes his head. “Nah, not important.”

Junmyeon presses his lips together and semi-glares. “Jungkook, tell me.”

Jungkook sighs. “It’s just I always felt like he was jealous.”

“Jealous?” Junmyeon thinks his voice sounds too faint over the sudden rapid beating of his heart.

“Yeah, of you and me.”

“That’s…” Yifan? Jealous of him and Jungkook? Why would he be? A voice from the past reminds him: _“Myeon, I and Soohyun have been watching you two guys for years. Trust me, sometimes we are stifled by all the tension between you.”_ Was it plain old jealousy? But why? “Absurd.”

Jungkook shrugs. “I don’t know hyung, just my guess.”

Their food arrives and thankfully, the topic of their conversation shifts. Junmyeon actually enjoys the lunch as Jungkook talks and he is not mad that the younger dominates their conversations. Honestly, Junmyeon does not know what to do with the information Jungkook gave him. Suddenly, he recalls that year he dated Jungkook as clear as day. Yifan was extra rude to him that year, as if he wanted to finish their last year of high school on extremely bad terms. Or that is what Junmyeon thought, but if Jungkook’s right, then Yifan’s strange behaviour is somehow explained.

But still, why would Yifan be jealous? Junmyeon cannot imagine Yifan being jealous over him dating Jungkook; it seems utterly implausible.

 

Yifan is seething, and Minseok can tell. So, when the woman opens her mouth to ask the next question, the PD call for a sudden break. Yifan and the woman look at the PD in surprise and confusion respectively, but the man just smiles sheepishly and gives an excuse. Minseok heaves a sigh of relief when Yifan doesn’t question it. He gets up and excuses himself to go to the bathroom knowing very well Minseok has something up his sleeve.

Minseok watches his actor leave and he sighs. He throws an arm around the PD and grins, “Thanks for that…” His grin turns sinister and he can see the poor man under his arm shrinking in fear. “Now, what did I say about personal questions?”

“You, uh, said not to ask them,” the man cowers.

Minseok increases the pressure of his hold. “And what did you do?”

“I, uh, I—” Today is his first day as a PD for this show. He did hear about Wu Yifan’s manager from hell, but he didn’t pay any heed to warnings. But the hold over his nape is stifling and his knees might be wobbling.

“Change them, or else expect to get blacklisted. I mean, today’s your first day, isn’t it?” Minseok says in a calm, monotonous voice. That seems to do the trick and as soon as Minseok releases the PD, he scurries away to find the writer. Minseok shakes his head and walks off the set to find Yifan.

He finds his friend in the greenroom, laid horizontally on the sofa with his arm over his eyes. He tuts, “You will ruin your makeup.”

Yifan groans, “I don’t care.” Minseok drags a chair and sits down. “You threatened the PD again, didn’t you?”

Minseok grins. “I might have.”

“Why?”

“They were going to ask you a question about Dr Kim.”

Yifan removes his hand and glares at Minseok. “What!”

“Yeah, and I know you are mad today for some reason, and I don’t why, but I can guess it is related to the doctor, so I decided to do some old-fashioned threatening.”

Yifan turns his head and sighs at the ceiling. His manager does know him best. “Yeah, it is Junmyeon-related…”

“Talk to me, if you want Yifan.”

Yifan sighs again as he fights the urge to rub his face. “It’s…I dropped him off at Gangnam today where he is meeting his ex-boyfriend for lunch, and I am just, like, so annoyed?”

“Or are you jealous? You are, aren’t you? I am not blind Fan.”

Yifan’s heart thuds painfully in his chest. Is it that obvious? “What do you mean?”

Minseok watches Yifan avoiding his gaze and just sighs. “You like Junmyeon, don’t you?”

Yifan bolts upright and stares aghast at his manager. “How…”

“As I said, I am not blind.”

Minseok looks unimpressed and Yifan swallows. Trust Kim Minseok to know him inside out. He falls back on the sofa with a grunt and puts his hand over his eyes again. His voice is shaky when he mutters, “Huh, that’s great and all, but Junmyeon doesn’t feel like that for me you know…”

“What if he does?”

“When hell freezes over Minseok. I wasn’t very nice to him when we were younger, fuck it, I wasn’t even nice to him a few months ago!” He can feel his heart getting heavy as he realises this. “So, why would he?”

“Yifan…”

“No, leave me alone, will you? Call me when they need me.”

“Yifan, pl—”

Yifan snaps, “Just go Minseok.”

Minseok understands Yifan needs his space, so he quietly leaves. He throws one last look at Yifan sprawled on the couch and sighs. He wishes he could intervene and knock some sense into both—Yifan and Junmyeon—their heads.

 

Junmyeon behaves normally, but he knows something is different about Yifan. No, they are not fighting, but they are not the way they were before. Yifan would sometimes drop by the hospital during lunch or dinner, but for the past few days, he hasn’t been here. Junmyeon scoured the internet, almost expecting to see more pictures of him and Yifan, but when he finds none, he gets worried. He thought that maybe Yifan wasn’t coming to the hospital to protect his privacy, but the absence of any pictures makes Junmyeon antsy. Did he do something to offend Yifan unknowingly?

He cannot remember doing anything offensive for the last few weeks. October is at its end and winter is knocking at the door. He remembers Yifan’s birthday is coming up, and he makes up his mind to make it up to the other by finding him the best birthday present ever. He cannot afford something as ridiculous as a Leica camera now, so, he is now online looking for the perfect gift.

He has the night shift today after a long time. He is currently at the reception near the ER, on Sooyeon’s computer. He is browsing through some watches when the doors to the ER open in a rush, bringing in frigid air. He looks up and instantly gets on his feet. He can see some paramedics rolling in a stretcher with a small girl on it.

One of the paramedics, Yuri, exclaims as soon as she sees him, “Junmyeon! Auto collision, blunt trauma to chest!”

Junmyeon skids forward and helps her and the other paramedics to wheel the girl, no older than eleven, to the nearest unoccupied operating theatre. He shouts for some assistance as he wears his scrubs, and the nurses free of any work, follow him. He quickly cuts away the t-shirt the unconscious girl is wearing and the huge bruise on her chest, over her lungs gets him worried. He asks Yuri, “How long?”

“Response time was five minutes, but the call took ten minutes to make,” Yuri says as she dons some scrubs herself.

“Shit!” Junmyeon fears the worst; a chest trauma left unattended for that long can lead to hypoxia. The anaesthesia is pumped through a mask over her face and Junmyeon wears his gloves. As he waits for the anaesthesia to work, he gently probes over the skin and he feels few broken ribs, and when the skin forms a sizeable depression at pressing down, his worst fears are confirmed. He can safely assume the bones have punctured the lungs, and now the area around the lungs are swollen due to the accumulation of blood and fluids in the lung tissue. He counts till twenty before ordering, “Scalpel.” He has no other option than cutting the chest open and draining the fluids accumulated. “Get a tube ready.”

As soon as the scalpel slides over the skin, blood comes bubbling out of the cut and Yuri grabs the draining tube and helps Junmyeon attach it. They watch the blood draining out and they think the worst is over, but suddenly a nurse shouts, “Dr Kim, her heart!”

The doctor looks up to see the girl’s heart rate decreasing. His eyes widen as he realises what is happening. “Cardiac contusion!”

“What! It takes hours for that!” Yuri shouts.

“Children suffer more from blunt chest trauma Yuri, she is not forty-seven!” A nurse wheels over the defibrillator. The machine charges up and Junmyeon shouts, “Clear!” He presses the defibrillator paddles on her chest and as the electricity jolts through, the girl’s back arches, but her heart rate only significantly drops. Junmyeon curses and tries again, and again, but with his heart dropping to his knees, he watches the little girl on the table flat line. The ECG emits a flat noise as it shows that the girl on the table no longer has any heart rate. His hand knocks over the draining tube and blood gushes out, staining his pastel blue scrubs, but he doesn’t notice that. He refuses to believe the situation and as he is about to press the defibrillator around the girl’s heart, Yuri places her hands over his.

Junmyeon looks at his colleague with watery, wide eyes as the ECG maintains its flat, final tone. Yuri takes the paddles away from his hands and looking at her watch, says in a sombre voice, “Time of death, twenty hours nineteen minutes due to cardiac arrest from blunt chest trauma.” She looks around the room, and the other nurses bow their head in agreement. Only Junmyeon remains unresponsive, his clothes covered in blood, as he stares blankly at the dead body in front of him.

In all his years of practice, he never had any patient dying on him. He whispers, “This is my fault.”

Yuri shakes her head as she pulls him away. A nurse starts stitching the cut Junmyeon made, while another nurse walks outside to prepare the report. Yuri drags Junmyeon outside and pushes him down on a bench; he doesn’t fight, his body and mind numb. Sooyeon, from the reception, spots Junmyeon and the splash of blood over his scrubs, frightens her and she hurries over. Yuri quietly tells her, “He lost the patient today.”

Sooyeon knows Junmyeon never had anyone dying on him. She falls on her knees in front of him and gently removes the bloodied gloves off his hands. She gives them to Yuri to discard, who nods and walks away. Sooyeon holds Junmyeon’s ice-cold hands in hers, and he finally looks up. He mumbles, “I could have saved her.”

Sooyeon shakes her head. “Junmyeon, this isn’t your fault.”

“Sooyeon, I could have saved her.”

His strange, robotic voice scares her. She flags down a nurse walking down the corridor and says, “Get Dr Kim’s phone please. It’s on the reception desk.” She decides to send Junmyeon home. He doesn’t look fit to perform his duties anymore. His eyes are vacant and his hands are cold, and he looks too shocked to even function. But she expects that; losing a patient for the first time is a jarring experience for any medical professional.

The nurse returns with Junmyeon’s phone and Sooyeon opens the contacts, wondering who to call, when she remembers. She dials the number and as soon as the call gets connected, she says, “Yifan-sshi? It is Sooyeon.”

“Yes?” Yifan says.

“Can you come pick Junmyeon up?”

“What? Is he okay?”

“Yifan-sshi, he is fine, well physically. He had a terrible experience today, I would like to send him home. Could you come over?”

“Sure, I am coming.”

“Thank you.”

 

Yifan, to say the least, was very surprised by the call from Sooyeon. Various horrible scenarios plagued him as he drove to the hospital. Now, he is running towards OT number three, where Sooyeon texted she is, keeping Junmyeon company. When he finds them, the first thing he notices is the blood on Junmyeon’s scrubs. He glares at Sooyeon, who ensured Junmyeon was physically unharmed. She shakes her head, “The blood isn’t his.”

Yifan frowns, but he understands the blood must belong to someone else. He looks down at Junmyeon to ask, but the man in question is blankly staring at the floor. Sooyeon explains, “He had his first patient death tonight. He is, well, he is in shock. Take him home, will you?” Yifan nods and presses a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder. That seems to make Junmyeon move and he asks, “Yifan? What are you doing here?”

“Let’s go home, I will tell you later.” Yifan notes the monotony in Junmyeon’s voice and gets worried. He gently nudges Junmyeon to his feet. Sooyeon passes Yifan the shorter man’s phone and says, “Don’t worry, I will keep Junmyeon’s things in my locker for tonight. You go on.”

Yifan nods again. He takes off his jacket and puts it around Junmyeon’s shoulder, since the weather had turned colder. Junmyeon seems to give up and nearly drags his feet as Yifan takes him towards the car.

The ride home is deathly silent as Junmyeon keeps staring outside, unseeing, lost in his thoughts. If the call had come earlier, she could have been saved. If he had been quicker, she could have been saved. These thoughts cloud his mind and he doesn’t even realise they are home, until Yifan lightly touches his hand. When he closes his eyes, all he can see is the blood and the flat line on the ECG. He is a doctor, he is supposed to save lives, but today he failed. And he just cannot forgive himself. 

Junmyeon’s eyes well over and Yifan shakes his head as he doesn’t think and pulls Junmyeon close. He tucks Junmyeon against his neck as the latter, finally, cries. Yifan doesn’t know exactly what happened, yet he tries, “No, no, this isn’t your fault, not by any means.”

“Yifan,” Junmyeon wails and claws at his back in distress. Yifan lets him, he lets Junmyeon empty all the tears inside him. He holds Yifan close to him as sobs rack his body and he hates himself for failing to do his duty. She could have been saved, she could have been saved…He looks at Yifan and his lips wobble when he says, “It’s my fault.”

After a few minutes, Junmyeon stops and Yifan releases him, hoping the sudden hug doesn’t make the former feel uncomfortable. Junmyeon rubs his face and looks down at his clothes. He mumbles, “I need a shower. You shouldn’t have hugged me, I am in my hospital clothes.”

Yifan bites his lip, almost laughing at Junmyeon’s sudden clarity. He ruffles Junmyeon’s hair and says, “It’s all right. Let’s go.”

Together, they make their way upstairs, glad that the kids were too engrossed in their television programmes to notice their entry into the house. Yifan leaves Junmyeon near his room and runs back downstairs to make the latter some tea. He finds some chamomile tea and when he is done, he takes the cup to Junmyeon’s room.

Yifan places the cup on Junmyeon’s bed stand, when the latter exits the bathroom. Yifan quickly looks away as his face heats up. Junmyeon is only in his pyjama pants. Junmyeon, too, blushes as he grabs whatever t-shirt he finds in the closet first. He pulls it down and clears his throat, “I am good.”

Yifan looks back and smiles, pointing to the cup, “Uh, I got you some tea.”

Junmyeon’s gaze follows and he mumbles, “Thanks.” He sits down on the bed, his legs crossed as he grabs the cup. He pats the space beside him, and Yifan sits down. “Thanks for this.”

Yifan smiles as he sits down beside Junmyeon, “No problem.” He scratches the back of his head. “So, uh, I don’t know if I should ask…”

Junmyeon sips the tea. “You can.”

Yifan takes a deep breath. “What happened?”

“A little girl died and I could have prevented that.”

“Could you have?” Yifan’s simple question surprises Junmyeon. He looks at Yifan, his eyes tearing up again. Yifan scoots closer and takes the tea cup from Junmyeon’s hands. He knows this is a bold move, but he cannot handle the sad look in Junmyeon’s eyes. He feels like Junmyeon is meant for smiles and his eyes are meant to transform into a mesmerising shade of honey and not look this dead, so, his heart twists as he cups Junmyeon’s face. He says, “Junmyeon?”

“I don’t know,” Junmyeon whispers as the tears fall down his cheeks. Yifan wipes one away with his thumb and pulls Junmyeon close to him. The shorter curls into his embrace and mumbles into his chest, “I don’t know Yifan, I don’t know.”

Yifan rubs his back as Junmyeon sobs. Yifan again hates how every time he gets to hold Junmyeon, it comes with a price. The last time he was being stalked, and this time Junmyeon underwent a significant incident. He gently pushes Junmyeon down on the bed and when the other looks at him in confusion, he says, “Go to sleep, okay? You went through a lot today.” He moves and gets down from the bed.

Yifan is pulling the covers over Junmyeon, when the latter grabs his wrists, “Yifan?” When Yifan hums in response, Junmyeon says, with much trepidation, “Can you stay with me…till I fall asleep?” He sees Yifan widening his eyes and he half expects to get rejected, but then Yifan nods his head and sits down on the bed, putting a pillow between him and the headboard. He turns off the lights and his voice is soft when he says, “Sleep Junmyeon, I'll be here.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shout out to @changdeol on Twitter for suggesting what Junmyeon can give to Yifan  
> and another shout out to @smileforYongGuk for suggesting another great gift, and i am sad i couldn't put it to use here but I am decided to put it in a fic in my Krisho one-shot series, so THANK YOU SO MUCH :))))

Junmyeon closes his eyes and he feels Yifan’s fingers carding through his hair, and it should feel strange, but it doesn’t. Instead, it takes off the edge and Junmyeon soon finds himself relaxing, and slowly falls asleep.

Yifan was almost scared to touch Junmyeon, but then he didn’t get pushed away when he hugged the man twice today, so he braves running his fingers through Junmyeon’s hair. And he feels Junmyeon slowly relaxing, and when his breathing gets even, Yifan knows he is fast asleep. The room is darkened, but Yifan’s eyes have gotten used to the dark and he gazes at Junmyeon as his heart swells with affection.

His back starts hurting a little, and he knows he doesn’t have to be here anymore. He removes his hand, and to his surprise, Junmyeon sleepily mumbles, “Don’t.” Yifan bites back a chuckle at Junmyeon’s petulance as he resumes his ministrations. But this time, he lies down, ensuring there is enough space between him and Junmyeon. The other relaxes again and presses his face deeper into the pillow, the swell of his cheek the only thing visible. Yifan smiles, a sleeping Junmyeon is adorable. He remembers all the time he had found Junmyeon sleeping in the school library during free periods. Junmyeon was obviously more serious than him when it came to studying, so Yifan would relentlessly tease him about falling asleep on school grounds (like he never slept through his maths or physics classes).

Junmyeon back then was scrawny and he looked so small curled up into himself on the floor or on the couch with his bag as a pillow. Now, Junmyeon has more meat on his bones, but is sleeping habits haven’t changed.

_Everyone only had one thing on their mind—the college entrance examination that Yifan isn’t bothered by. He had no plans of entering college anyway. So, when the teacher gave a free period for the students to study, everybody brings out their books and spread across the class in groups, or leave and find other empty places in the school. Yifan scoffs and gets out of the class, bag strapped over his shoulder. He makes a beeline for the one couch in the library. He hopes it is empty so he can squeeze a nap in; and even if it is not empty, he can always scare people away. Thanks to his height and eyebrows, people think he is some sort of delinquent (Changsun, Soohyun and that guy know otherwise), and he uses this to his maximum advantage._

_He strolls into the library and heads straight for the couch at the very back near the maths section. However, when he gets there, he finds a very familiar boy fast asleep with his bag as a makeshift pillow under his head. Yifan puts his hands on his hips and scowls down at Kim Junmyeon sleeping on his favourite spot. Yifan stands there, glaring at Junmyeon and the way he is tightly curled into a ball, which makes him look smaller than he usually is, it is sort of pitiful and Yifan almost doesn’t want to wake the other up._

_He walks closer and leans down to wake Junmyeon up when he hears a noise, most probably of feet scuffling. Yifan quickly ducks behind a bookshelf and soon, Jungkook appears with two cans of energy drinks. He smiles down at Junmyeon and Yifan narrows his eyes in annoyance. He really doesn’t like this kid. And he likes it less whenever Jungkook joins them at lunch. He hates the giggle fest Jungkook and Junmyeon are reduced to everyday. Yifan is wishing their honeymoon phase ends soon, or one of these days he_ will _punch Jungkook._

_Jungkook kneels and softly calls, “Hyung?” He shakes Junmyeon slightly, which seems to work as the latter opens his eyes and gives his boyfriend a sleepy smile. Jungkook smiles, “I got you something to drink.”_

_Junmyeon sits up and takes the cold can from Jungkook, who sits down beside him. As soon as Jungkook takes his seat, Junmyeon slumps against him and nuzzles his neck, whining a little, “I am so tired!”_

_Jungkook chuckles and runs his hand through Junmyeon’s hair. “Can’t relate.”_

_Junmyeon pinches Jungkook’s side and pouts, “I can’t wait for the day when you suffer and have to pull all-nighters.”_

_Jungkook laughs and kisses Junmyeon’s pout, who gets taken aback and soon, his cheeks darken. Jungkook laughs at that and Yifan, still hiding behind the bookshelf, fists his hands and really wishes he could punch something._

Back in the present, Yifan laughs in his head. Now that he thinks of it, he was never _annoyed_ by the PDA Junmyeon and Jungkook displayed—he was jealous _._ What he felt during that time, his annoyance at Jungkook making Junmyeon laugh at something, or the younger touching or kissing Junmyeon, was just jealousy. He wasn’t annoyed that Junmyeon had a boyfriend, he was _jealous_ that Junmyeon had a boyfriend. So, Changsun and Soohyun were right. He looks up at the ceiling and if his friends are looking down at him, he hopes they see the middle finger he is flipping at them.

Yifan’s hand have stopped moving, and he carefully removes it. Junmyeon doesn’t respond now, and Yifan wants to get up, but his body feels heavy. He had a tiring day today as well. He had promotions and a hurried photoshoot, and he feels the exhaustion deeply and this bed is so soft. He tells himself five minutes and closes his eyes, trying to quickly nap before leaving.

 

Somewhere close to midnight, or maybe after it, Junmyeon wakes up and finds himself curled up against something warm and solid. The room is dark and he panics a little, but he recognises he is in his room and the smell of cologne is familiar. He is pressed against someone’s side and when his eyes get used to the dark, his heart rockets as he realises the solid and warm body beside him is Yifan’s.

His eyes widen and he wonders why Yifan is here before he remembers that he, himself asked Yifan to stay till he fell asleep. Judging by how deeply asleep Yifan is, he must have been tired himself and he fell asleep while waiting for Junmyeon to fall asleep. Something warm and wonderful spreads through his body as he smiles. Yifan still sleeps with his mouth slightly open. Junmyeon, however, doesn’t have the heart to kick Yifan out of his bed, and this bed is big enough for four people, so he quietly shifts back to his side and lies down.

As he gazes at Yifan’s side profile, his eyelids get heavy again and he closes them, waiting for sleep to return.   

 

Yifan wakes up and the first thing he realises is that he is still in Junmyeon’s room. How did five minutes turn into a whole night? He blinks in confusion, and then he feels something warm lying on his chest. He looks down to find Junmyeon’s head on his chest and his arm around his waist. In this bed that four people can share, Yifan wonders how Junmyeon ended up on top of him.

Junmyeon seems comfortable though, with his cheek squashed on Yifan’s chest. His head bobs up and down as Yifan breathes in and out with his heart beating too fast. He smiles though as he places his hand on top of Junmyeon’s head. The shorter doesn’t move, but Yifan doesn’t want him to wake up like this. He doesn’t want to make things uncomfortable and awkward between them again. So, he carefully, slowly pushes Junmyeon off him, and as much he hates it, he places Junmyeon’s head on his pillow. He sits up and the early morning autumn sunlight is soft and when it falls on Junmyeon, it lovingly caresses him. Yifan smiles and he leans down, closer to Junmyeon. He has kissed an asleep Junmyeon once, so he doesn’t think too much about as he kisses him again, this time on the slightly swollen peach of his cheek.

Yifan’s nose brushes against Junmyeon’s temple and he smells like vanilla and green tea, and it is nice. Yifan takes a small moment and nuzzles the soft hair. He leans back and shakes his head at his behaviour. He is so smitten and he knows it; if only he could lay down his heart for Junmyeon to see. But that is a scary thought. Yifan isn’t sure if he is ready to do that, to let himself be that vulnerable to Junmyeon and then get nothing but hurt in return.

Yifan leaves the room, closing the door behind him and he makes sure he is as quiet as possible. However, as soon as the door closes, Junmyeon’s eyes fly open and he sits up, with his hand over his heart, which is thudding painfully in his chest.

_Yifan kissed him on the cheek._

He had sort of woken up between Yifan pushing him off his chest and placing him on the pillow. Junmyeon had a complaint on the tip of his tongue, but then Yifan _kissed_ him and even nuzzled his hair. _What the fuck_ …Junmyeon cannot fathom why Yifan would do that.

 

Yifan headed outside for a run after he left Junmyeon’s room. When he returns, he hears loud shouting from the kitchen. He peeks in to find Junmyeon on the stove, with the children crowding him. Junseo says something and Junmyeon breaks down into laughter, and it is so carefree and beautiful, that Yifan feels his heart skipping beats.

Somewhere in his head, Yifan thinks how he can come back home to this every Sunday morning—Junmyeon making breakfast with his tiny assistants. He is already taken by the laughter and the excited shouts and the smell of pancakes cooking on the stove. In his ideal world, he would go sneak behind Junmyeon and kiss the beautiful curve of his nape and whisper how much he loves him. And Junmyeon would say the three words right back with that smile of his that starts slowly from his cheeks lifting then to his eyes crinkling. Everything about this movie in his head is in soft focus and perfect.

Yifan steps back in shock as his “ideal” scenario plays in his head. _Love?_ Is he in love with Junmyeon? Before he can find an answer, Junhyung notices him and shouts, “Fanfan!”

Yifan gets startled and soon finds himself dragged inside by the twins. His heart is still racing in his chest and there is a buzzing in his ears as he realises some things. He looks up at Junmyeon, who blushes and looks away and for a second Yifan thinks Junmyeon has read his mind. But then he realises how preposterous that is. Junseo asks, “Fanfan, eat with us!”

Junmyeon says, “Junseo, he possibly can’t.” Yifan frowns at Junmyeon, who looks guilty. “You are on a diet, aren’t you?”

Oh, Yifan remembers, he is. He shakes his head at the twins, who look disappointed. “Sorry, kids, later, okay?” He pats their head and turns around. He doesn’t head upstairs; he grabs his keys from the table on the hall, where he placed them last night and gets out. He gets inside his car and decides on an impromptu long ride to clear his head, and most importantly, to calm his heart.

Junmyeon hears the car racing over the gravel. For a second, he thinks that maybe Yifan knows that he knows about the kiss. His hand unconsciously touches the spot where Yifan’s lips touched his skin and he feels his cheeks warming up. Yifan’s lips were as warm and soft as he dreamt about. Yifan couldn’t possibly know, right? If he did, Junmyeon is sure he would try to explain himself. But the way Yifan looked at him before nearly running out of the kitchen, Junmyeon cannot be sure. He drops his hand and flips the pancake. He is still trying to make sense of Yifan’s behaviour.

 

Somewhere on a highway, heading towards the mountains, Yifan parks his car on the side and slumps over the wheel. He mumbles, “Shit.” And then proceeds to hate himself and his late friends for everything—and by everything, he means one Kim Junmyeon, a constant in his life since fifteen.

Now, at twenty-eight, he is here re-evaluating his life. He is now wondering why did he pick on Junmyeon in the first place if he had always unknowingly liked him. He once read somewhere that boys in kindergarten are mean to the girls when they like them, and he did think that is a bunch of bullshit. If someone hates someone, that’s it, there cannot be underlying affection under it. He is sure it is a stupid concept created by some sixteen-year-old somewhere. But come to think of it, has he ever really hated Junmyeon, like truly loathed him?

He leans back on his seat and stares at the rather pretty scenery in front of him. Fall is here and everything around him is yellow and red. He bites his lip as he thinks…thinks about how he would hang around Soohyun and Junmyeon anyway, even if he didn’t need to. He thinks back to every time he felt a simmering satisfaction when Junmyeon would reject other people’s advances. He thinks back to every time he had somehow made Junmyeon laugh.

So, maybe, the hate was just a mask hiding his true feelings. Or maybe he was just in denial, for thirteen straight years. Soohyun and Changsun had tried to tell him, but he never paid any attention. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and dials the one person who can help him.

The call gets picked up in one ring (as expected). “Yifan?”

“Minseok, I really fucked it up this time,” Yifan groans.

Minseok sighs. “Come over. We can also get some work done.”

“Okay.” Yifan drops the call and rubs his face. He really needs to talk to someone, and he really needs someone to tell him what to do because he feels very lost in light of all his sudden realisations. So, who else but Kim Minseok?  

 

Minseok kind of wants to strangle Yifan, and he would have if homicide wasn’t illegal. Ever since Yifan came to him to rant about Junmyeon, which ended in him sheepishly admitting his love for Junmyeon, the taller man has been camping out at Minseok’s place. Junmyeon has been told (read: lied to) Yifan had to suddenly leave the country for some pre-production shoot. The doctor believed Minseok and he did feel bad for lying, but Yifan is such an idiot. But if he cannot strangle Yifan, he can always kick his non-existent ass.

So, Minseok stomps into his living room. He can hear Seohyun pattering in the kitchen and Yifan is snoozing on his couch, his ugly feet sticking out at one end. Also, he needs Yifan out of his house because one, it has been three days, and two, he hasn’t spent any time with Seohyun ever since Yifan took refuge here. Therefore, Yifan _needs_ to go.

Yifan has his eyes closed, earphones jammed in, his head swaying with the music. Minseok narrows his eyes; he can’t believe Yifan’s audacity. The taller is sprawled on Minseok’s sofa like _he_ owns it. Minseok raises his foot and swiftly kicks Yifan’s flat ass to the floor.

Yifan tumbles to the floor gracelessly and his phone slips, taking the earphones with it. He cries, “What the fuck?”

His cry draws Seohyun out of the kitchen. She finds Yifan on the floor, rubbing his back, glaring up at Minseok, who is glaring right back at him with his arms crossed. Seohyun asks, “What happened?”

Yifan points at Minseok and cries, “Your boyfriend kicked me!”

Seohyun raises an eyebrow at Minseok. “I know you miss playing football, but Yifan isn’t that great of a replacement.”

Yifan’s mouth drops and he is very close to whining when Minseok spreads his hands and says, “He has been here for three days! And made me lie to Dr Kim!”

Seohyun rolls his eyes. “What else can you do? If he wants to die carrying the unrequited love torch, let him.”

“He can go do it somewhere else!”

“Well, he is a child and he is _your_ child after all,” Seohyun grins. “Where else would he go if not to his mommy dearest?”

Both Minseok and Yifan shout at the same time, “What?”

She turns around and walks back to the kitchen, “I am with Minseok though. You can’t hide here forever Fanfan.”

Yifan, still on the floor, pouts and crosses his arms. He looks up to Minseok and says, “I am not your child.”

Minseok is still glaring. “As if I would want a kid like you.” His face softens a little, “Go home, seriously. The kids miss you.”

Yifan’s eyes widen. “You talked to Junmyeon?”

“Yeah,” Minseok nods and takes a seat. “He was asking how you were and telling me how the twins and Jihyun miss you.”

Yifan feels guilty; he knows he had been juvenile and now that he knows the kids miss him, it makes his heart pain. He realises he misses them, and Junmyeon, too. He slowly gets to his feet and says, “I will go home.”

Minseok smiles, “Sorry for kicking you.”

Yifan smiles and rubs his buttocks. “I think I deserved that.”

 

Junmyeon wakes up earlier than everyone in the house. Today is Yifan’s birthday and Sunny and he had planned a surprise for the birthday boy. Junmyeon meets Sunny in the hallway who is on the phone with Taecyeon. The plan was to buy the cake for Yifan and keep it at Taecyeon’s place. Junmyeon had earlier contacted Jungkook, who, along with Kyungsoo, had come through with a coffee cake with walnuts, something Junmyeon knows Yifan will like.

Taecyeon is on time and he knocks on the backdoor as soon as Junmyeon and Sunny step into the kitchen. They quickly set up the table, and a few minutes later, Jihyun enters the kitchen with a huge, yet sleepy, smile. Junmyeon smiles at her, “Hey there, ready to go wake Fanfan up?” She nods her head. “Your brothers?”

“They are in the bathroom,” she skips into the kitchen and peers at the cake. “That’s looks yummy.”

The twins bound into the room as well, and they too are regarding the cake, fighting the urge to try dip their fingers into the fluffy icing. Jihyun pushes her brothers back, very much aware what they are thinking about. Junmyeon fluffs Junseo’s bed hair and says, “Now go wake your uncle up.”

The children rush out of the room and Sunny remarks, “They missed him so much when he was gone.”

Junmyeon smiles, or at least he tries to. He too missed Yifan in all the four days he wasn’t here, but he didn’t run up to Yifan and hug him like the children did (doesn’t mean he didn’t want to though). His phone rings and he picks it up, “Hello Minseok hyung.”

“So, I will be down with Seohyun soon. I have preponed a photoshoot and that would keep Yifan busy for a while,” Minseok says.

“That’s great hyung. Has she sent the invites?”

“Oh, yeah, she has. See you later Junmyeon!”

Minseok disconnects and Junmyeon pockets his phone. The three of them—Minseok, Seohyun and Junmyeon—have planned a surprise party for Yifan tonight. Seohyun is obviously leading their team when it comes to party planning, Minseok and Junmyeon are going along with it.

Meanwhile, the children have made their way upstairs and pushed back the trapdoor. Jihyun controls her giggle when she sees her uncle sleeping with his mouth open, drool collecting on the pillow. The twins follow and comment in chorus, “Gross.”

Jihyun and her brothers carefully tiptoe closer to the bed and whispers, “Okay, on one…two…three…”

Then the three of them scream, “Happy birthday Fanfan!”

Yifan jolts awake, and starts coughing, choking on saliva. It takes him a moment, but then he recognises the three tiny humans crowding his bed with huge, matching grins. His head is still muddled, but he smiles and rubs his eyes. “You guys gave me a heart attack.”

Junseo and Junhyung throw themselves at him and Yifan falls back on the bed. Junseo says, “Aw, Fanfan you cannot have a heart attack before you cut the cake!”

Yifan chuckles, “Okay, okay. I will tell my heart attack to come later.”

Jihyun rolls her eyes and pulls at Yifan’s wrist. “Come on uncle, Junmyeon uncle is waiting for you!”

Junmyeon? Yifan’s smile widens. He lets the children push him off the bed and when he pretends to fall back asleep, their indignant screams make him laugh. They make their way downstairs and he finds everyone in the kitchen greeting him simultaneously.

He blows the candles and makes a wish, on Jihyun’s insistence, and cuts the cake. He realises it is coffee-flavoured and he knows it is Junmyeon’s doing, so he sends a smile at the shorter male’s direction. Soon, everyone hands him gifts, even though he protests. Seohyun hands him a gift pack of anti-wrinkle treatments and Yifan deadpans, Seohyun just winks, “What? You are getting old.”

Minseok, his lord and saviour, hands him a bottle of limited edition scotch and he nearly cries on the man’s shoulder. Sunny gives him a pair of socks with dragons on them (“Jihyun picked it up!”). When the laughter dies down, Junmyeon steps forward, his cheeks pink and his gaze flickering anywhere but at Yifan.

Minseok and Seohyun notice Junmyeon’s obvious reluctance at giving Yifan’s gift in front of everyone and they quickly shoo everyone away. They head for the food on the kitchen counter. Yifan pouts, “What? Nothing for me?”

Junmyeon finally looks up and glares, “It is hard to gift you, you know!”

Yifan mocks being hurt and keeps pouting, “Why Junmyeon, I thought you knew me best!”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes and pulls out the packet he had been hiding behind his back. He thrusts it into Yifan’s hands and steps back, trying to control his heartbeats. Yifan smirks and tears the brown paper apart. A red scarf falls out and Yifan’s eyes widen when he recognises the brand. He whispers, “Junmyeon, where did you…”

“It took some searching,” Junmyeon chuckles and scratches the back of his head, feeling shy. “But there was an auction on eBay. Don’t ask how I stumbled across it though.”

Yifan bunches the scarf and presses it to his face. It smells like mothballs and dusty attics, and he loves it. He puts it around his neck and grabs Junmyeon by his shoulder. Next thing Junmyeon knows, he is pressed to Yifan’s chest in a tight embrace. His eyes widen and his heart rabbits as Yifan mumbles into his hair, “Thank you.” He didn’t think Junmyeon would remember something so trivial yet strangely important to him.

Several years ago, when Yifan’s father was still alive, his father had this red scarf that Yifan always wanted to wear. His father promised him that he would one day. But when he was sixteen, his father died in a car accident and he was wearing the scarf as the car went up in flames. At the funeral, that Junmyeon attended with Changsun and Soohyun, Yifan had let slip this silly fact. Changsun had wanted to get him one as soon as possible, but unfortunately, the brand had stopped knitting that particular batch of heavy knit scarves in the last six years. Yifan had forgotten about it, yet Junmyeon remembered.

Junmyeon drags his teeth over his lip. He didn’t think Yifan would be this moved by the gift. It was a rather silly thing and a rather lucky coincidence when Junmyeon stumbled across it on the online shopping site (he was looking for red ginseng-based face products). Junmyeon knows Yifan never talks about his father’s death; it is something he actively avoids. But he remembers Yifan’s broken face when he told them as he caressed a picture in his hands. Junmyeon had later seen the picture and the tiny Yifan glaring up at him with his father had made him smile. It was sheer luck that someone was auctioning the same scarf, calling it “vintage” (things twenty years old are now called  _vintage_ ). He didn’t think twice before placing the highest bid.

Junmyeon pats Yifan’s back, who pulls back. Yifan’s cheeks are dusted with red and he seems unable to look at Junmyeon as he says, “Thank you Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon’s heart is no longer listening to him, and neither is the rest of his body as he rises on his toes. He lightly brushes his lips against Yifan’s cheek and when he is back on his feet, he grins, “Happy birthday Yifan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do not be fooled by all the fluff here  
> LMAO


	18. Chapter 18

“Happy birthday Yifan.”

Yifan eyes widen and when Junmyeon smiles up at him, he realises Junmyeon _knows._ He knows that Yifan kissed him in his sleep. But there is hope in Junmyeon’s eyes and for a second, he doesn’t get it—he doesn’t get why Junmyeon would look at him like that, with cheeks red and his lower lip trapped under his teeth. Yifan knows that this moment is paramount, and right now they are standing at an edge. But then the hope starts making sense, and Yifan forgets how to breathe for a second.

Junmyeon didn’t have the right words, so he used action instead. He can _see_ the realisation dawn in Yifan’s eyes, and he cannot help but look hopeful. He hopes Yifan will tell him why he did what he did and he needs to know he is not alone. Junmyeon has finally given a name to the tumultuous feelings inside him, he just requires Yifan’s validation. So, his breath hitches when Yifan steps closer and curls his fingers around his elbow. He asks, “Junmyeon?”

“Yifan…” Junmyeon’s voice is breathless and it makes Yifan dizzy. This is happening; the fantasy he had could be the reality and it surprises him, but he doesn’t mind. He pulls Junmyeon close, searching for any hesitation in the shorter man’s face, but there aren’t any.

However, someone’s phone rings and they jump back. Taecyeon takes his call and strides out of the kitchen. Junmyeon puts a hand on his chest, his heart is beating so loudly, he can’t hear anything else. Yifan still has his hand on his elbow, and when he looks back up, Yifan gives him a small smile. He nods, squeezes Junmyeon’s elbow and lets go. He walks over to Minseok to discuss his schedule but Junmyeon saw it. Junmyeon saw the equally hopeful gaze Yifan sent his way. He understands Yifan isn’t going to let go of this, that they will talk about this later. And it excites and scares Junmyeon in equal measures.

 

Yifan can hardly concentrate on work. The photographer wanted him to look serious, but every time he remembered what happened in the kitchen with Junmyeon, he would end up smiling like an idiot. Everyone on set were sure that superstar Wu Yifan had officially lost his mind. After the shoot wrapped up, Yifan took off his makeup in record time. He wanted to go home now and fast.

Minseok drives them home, and instead of parking in the front, he takes the car back to the flight of stairs that connects the garage to the terrace. When Minseok pushes Yifan on the stairs, the latter raises an eyebrow in question. Minseok just shakes his head and pushes him along. When they get to the terrace, fairy lights turn on and more than twenty people shout together, “Happy birthday Yifan!”

Yifan is taken aback. He never had anyone throw him a surprise birthday party before and his mouth is open wide as he takes in the fairy lights crisscrossing over his head. Minseok whispers into his ear, “It was Junmyeons idea.”

The man in question is standing beside Seohyun with a huge smile on his face and Yifan never has felt _more_ in love. He walks over to Junmyeon and all he wants to do right now is cup his beautiful face and kiss him senseless. But he gets interrupted when Taeyeon calls him, “Yifan?”

Yifan doesn’t want to go to his boss, and Junmyeon understands that, so he chuckles and gently pushes him away. He says, “Meet in the kitchen in after half an hour. I, uh, I want to talk about something.”

Yifan nods and his heart jumps in excitement. This is the best birthday ever. He goes over to his boss who hugs him and hands him a small present wrapped in navy blue paper. He thanks her, and mingles with his guests. Kyungsoo is here with his family and so is Seokjin and Namjoon. Yifan laughs when he finds Kyungsoo trapped between the twins as they coo at his two-year-old daughter. His wife, Jihyo, is deep in conversation with Seokjin. Namjoon rolls his eyes at their conversation; Yifan decides to join him. He snatches a glass of white wine from the refreshment table and walks over to Namjoon. They converse about Jihyun and Namjoon has too many questions about Yifan’s next project.

Soon, thirty minutes are almost up. Yifan doesn’t find Junmyeon, so he surmises he went before him. He excuses himself and takes the stairs down, but as he is about to step into the kitchen, he finds a tall man lurking near the trees surrounding his property. Yifan calls out, “Who’s there?”

He hears heavy footsteps crushing leaves and out from the woods, Sehun emerges, picking leaves out of his freshly dyed orange hair. Yifan’s eye widen as he says, “Sehun?”

“Hey,” Sehun smiles. “I was trying to find a way to get upstairs.”

“What are you doing here?” Yifan doesn’t want to sound so harsh, but he cannot help it. He sees Sehun’s smile drop again, and it makes him feel terrible for a moment.

“I, uh, just wanted to see you Yifan. It’s your birthday after all,” Sehun drops his gaze.

Yifan only feels guilt now. He can tell Sehun is trying not to cry, and this is his fault. So, he steps closer and puts both hands on the other’s shoulders. When Sehun looks up, his eyes are glazed over and his lower lip juts out. Yifan says, “I am really sorry Sehunnie.”

Sehun grunts, “Don’t call me that.” A single tear rolls down his cheek and he presses his palm to it.

“But I am. I know I should have been clearer, but I didn’t know how to tell you what I wanted without hurting you.”

“You don’t mean that,” Sehun sighs. He drops his hand and he looks older than his age. “I met someone…”

Yifan’s face brightens up. “That’s great news!”

“Yeah, he is tall too and a better dancer than you,” Sehun smirks. “But, he likes me and I realised I still like you.” His head drops and he hides his face behind his hands. “I am pathetic.”

Yifan’s heart breaks that he reduced Sehun to this. He hates himself, he really does. He pulls Sehun into his arms and pats his head, “You aren’t pathetic. I am the pathetic person here.”

Sehun sobs into his neck and shakes his head. “No. I just can’t seem to move on, but you have.”

Yifan sighs, not wanting to agree or deny that. He feels Sehun’s hands fisting the sides of his shirt and take a few deep breaths. He pushes himself away and when he looks back at Yifan, the latter is sort of moved by the reddened nose and glassy eyes. Maybe it is nostalgia or something else as he raises his hand and cups Sehun’s face. He swipes his thumbs under the kohl-lined eyes and shakes his head. He kisses Sehun on his temple and his voice is soft as he says, “I am so, so sorry.”

Sehun’s mouth opens and he licks his lips. Yifan doesn’t stop him when the younger leans forward and presses his lips gently against his. The touch is light, not passionate or personal, and Yifan feels the finality of it. Yifan understands why Sehun is here, and he realises that he would have done the same if he was in Sehun’s place. The younger needed closure to move forward, and Yifan is glad to give it to him. Sehun deserves to happy, and if it is with someone else, then all the better. When he leans back, his smile is wane but he looks much more in control. “Thanks for listening to me. I won’t bother you anymore...I guess I just wanted to see you one last time before I say yes to him.”

Yifan smiles and he is about to say something back when he hears gravel shifting. He looks to his side, so does Sehun, and Junmyeon stands there with his eyes wide. He takes a step back and says, “I—I am sorry.” He turns around and marches inside.

Sehun steps back and curses. “Shit, I am so sorry Yifan! I can go tell him tha—”

“No,” Yifan shakes his head as his heart drops to his feet. Junmyeon saw Sehun kissing him; he saw Yifan not thwarting Sehun from kissing him.

“I will go now,” Sehun turns around. He looks over his shoulder and he truly looks apologetic as he says, “I am really sorry.”

Yifan just nods his head and watches Sehun leave. He fucked up _again_.

 

Junmyeon was busy taking pictures of everyone at the party with his new camera. Yixing and Taekwoon have arrived, and they knew the Do family, so now Kyungsoo, Taekwoon, Yixing, Namjoon and Seokjin had formed a little group and they were busy chattering among themselves. Junmyeon moves through the small crowd and takes some pictures of the kids with Junseo now napping in Taecyeon’s shoulder.

He takes some pictures of Yifan as well, smiling with Taeyeon and her husband, Changmin. They have brought their youngest son, Doyoung, as well, and Yifan is playing with him. The scene is too cute, so he quickly takes some pictures. His heart pumps faster when he remembers the importance of this day.

This morning he didn’t know what made him kiss Yifan on his cheek. But he was grateful that Yifan got his silent message, that he understood all the things he couldn’t give words to. He wanted Yifan to know that he knew about what happened all those mornings ago. And he wanted to convey that if Yifan wanted to explain, he would listen and if he had the same thoughts, then Junmyeon wouldn’t deny. He wouldn’t deny that he likes Yifan.

It has been a long time since Chanyeol. He left him broken and insecure about relationships, but his heart wants to let Yifan in. The tall man has been a constant in his life, and despite all the denial over the years, he is finally ready to accept this—that maybe he always had _something_ for Yifan. He just hadn’t figured out what it was, but maybe now he has.

When looks up to find Yifan, he is not there. He gasps when he remembers. Right, he asked the other to meet him in the kitchen. He heads downstairs and as he is rounding the corner to get to the kitchen backdoor, when he finds Yifan embracing someone. He recognises Sehun in that orange hair and he frowns as Yifan cups the younger’s face. Then, to his complete surprise, Sehun kisses Yifan and the latter doesn’t stop him or push him away.

He steps back and his foot lands too heavily on the gravel and the two men break their embrace. Sehun looks afraid and Yifan is surprised, like he didn’t expect Junmyeon to catch him. His heart breaks and he thinks back to the time he walked into something similar many years ago. He turns around and walks inside. He runs up the stairs and into his room. He locks the doors and sits down on the bed. No, Chanyeol cheated while they were together. Yifan and he weren’t even like that, so Junmyeon doesn’t have to feel betrayed.

Maybe he imagined it all from the very beginning. Maybe there wasn’t anything between them. Maybe he just wanted something to be between them; he wanted to believe that Yifan buying him gifts, coming to visit him for lunch or dinner at the hospital had a reason. There never was any. He was just being nice and Junmyeon read too much into the situation.

He pulls up his legs to his chest and he rests his head on his knees. He takes a few deep breaths and curses himself over and over again. This is what he gets for thinking too much, for thinking there could be something. His heart aches and he knows he deserves this pain for being this stupid.

 

Junmyeon returns to the party and keeps his distance from Yifan, who, he can tell, has been trying to attract his attention. But Junmyeon doesn’t want to, even though he knows he will have to eventually. So, when the crowd thins and Seohyun and Minseok become the last ones to leave, Junmyeon is faking being busy as he clears the table. He takes some of the dirty glasses downstairs and he can hear Yifan following him.

He rinses the glasses and puts them, one by one, on the counter as Yifan finally breaks the silence, “Junmyeon? About Sehun, I—”

Junmyeon takes a deep breath and turns around. His blank, impassive face scares Yifan, who opens his mouth to say something but gets interrupted by the former. Junmyeon shakes his head, “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

Yifan frowns. “What do you mean?”

“If you and Sehun are back together, then congratulations,” Junmyeon steps back. “I hope you are happy.”

Yifan moves forward, his heart in his mouth as he scrambles in his head to salvage the rapidly snowballing situation. “Junmyeon, no, I, what about this morning?”

Junmyeon scowls as he takes another step back, “What about this morning?”

Yifan looks on confused at Junmyeon’s scowl. His voice is faint, tinged with hope as he mutters, “You kissed me.”

“So? You are my friend, I kissed you happy birthday. I don’t suddenly like you, don’t think so highly of yourself Wu.” Junmyeon quickly turns around to hide the hurt on his face and walks out of the kitchen. His legs tremble as he walks up the stairs and by the time he is locked inside his room, he gives up. He curls up on the bed and lets himself the tears he held back for so long.

Yifan _feels_ his heart crushing inside his chest. He inhales deeply and when he exhales, he feels the back of his eyes burning. So, he imagined it all up this morning? Did that kiss, did that look in Junmyeon’s eyes were all things that his mind made up? He grabs the counter and tries to not lose his focus, but he can feel it slipping. He fucked up massively this time and he has no one but himself to blame. As he tries to get a hold of himself, Junmyeon’s parting words reverberate in his mind, magnifying his hurt and hopelessness.

_“I don’t suddenly like you, don’t think so highly of yourself Wu.”_

It is over before it could even begin and Yifan doesn’t stop his tears from falling. Some birthday this was…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did leave a warning in the last chapter...but the angsty part of this story has just begun


	19. Chapter 19

A few days pass and Yifan is hardly home. He has his next project, for which he would be going to China for some time, and he was mostly out of the house finalising things with Minseok and the Chinese production houses backing the movie. Junmyeon went back to clinic duty and left before Yifan and returned after he did. They still talked and they pretended the conversation in the kitchen never happened, though Junmyeon would catch himself staring at Yifan for too long and Yifan would find himself doing the same. Every time Junmyeon would smile, Yifan could feel himself falling some more and hating himself at the same time. Every time Yifan acted cute with the kids, Junmyeon could feel warmth suffusing his being, but at the next moment he would try to reel himself in.

Junmyeon is sitting at a café close to his hospital currently as he waits for Seokjin to return with their coffee orders. He couldn’t take it anymore and he had to talk to someone, so he called Seokjin to spend a break with him. The younger had a rare off day, so he happily agreed. He returns with two coffees and a plate of pastries. He puts their orders down and scrunches his nose, “Honestly, when will this matcha trend die? Matcha brownies now? What in tarnation is this even?”

Junmyeon scoffs and pulls the offending pastry towards him. He takes a bite and decides he likes it. Seokjin watches him eat before going to town on his own red velvet cake. After a moment, he shouts, “Oh! I almost forgot!”

Seokjin’s shouting had attracted attention and Junmyeon flushes in embarrassment when other patrons in the café send them dirty looks. “Why don’t you just use a megaphone Jin?”

Seokjin smiles, a little shy as he mumbles, “Sorry. It’s just…I am excited.”

“Oh?” Junmyeon leans forward, now curious.

Seokjin covers his mouth and his blush is obvious as he says, “Namjoon and I finally have a date!”

Junmyeon widens his eyes and claps a hand over his mouth. He gets to his feet and gives Seokjin an awkward hug. The younger giggles into his shoulder and when Junmyeon returns to his seat, he asks, “When when?”

“March fifteen!”

Junmyeon’s cheeks hurt by how wide he is smiling, but he cannot help it. Seokjin is so happy, it is infectious. The younger suddenly breaks down into giggles and Junmyeon finds himself mimicking him. So, for a while, the two friends just share a laugh.

Seokjin calms down and asks, “Oh, hyung, you said you wanted to talk?”

Suddenly, Junmyeon didn’t want to talk about himself. He just received such good news, he doesn’t want to dwell on something so gloomy and perhaps mar Seokjin’s joyous mood in the process. So, he shakes his head and though Seokjin tries to protest, Junmyeon manages to convince Seokjin otherwise.

 

As Yifan gets ready to leave for a long shoot, Junmyeon finds Minseok almost living with them. The advantage of Minseok sleeping over often ensured Junmyeon’s coffee was ten time more better than what he could make, and he was grateful for that.

It is a Friday, and Junmyeon has a day off and he is lazing around in the more ornate living room, browsing through Yifan’s book collection. The taller turned out to be quite a bibliophile. Junmyeon has a bounded and gilded cover of Sherlock Holmes resting on his stomach. The kids are home as well, and he can hear them bothering Sunny in the kitchen. He smiles when he hears Sunny shouting that she won’t give any ice cream to Junhyung for the last time. His phone starts ringing and he sees Yifan’s name on the screen. But Junmyeon knows he is most probably working, so when he picks the call up, he isn’t surprised to hear Minseok say, “Hello Junmyeon?”

“Yes?”

“You have a day off, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay then, I am sending Taecyeon over to the house. Yifan is leaving tomorrow morning, so he wanted to spend some time with the kids. So, could you like come over to the sets? We could all go for dinner from here?”

“Sounds good hyung, I will get the kids ready.”

“All right! Taecyeon will be there in an hour.”

Junmyeon puts down his phone after Minseok ends the call. He leaves the sofa and strolls over to the kitchen. When he tells the children that they are going to meet their beloved Fanfan on set, they get excited and rush to their rooms to get ready. Junmyeon too heads up to his room and starts getting ready.

Taecyeon is on time and announces his presence with a loud honk. Sunny joins them as well and when Taecyeon sees her, his smile is shy and Junmyeon smirks. He is well aware that they meet up every now and then, go on coffee dates and all. It is cute and their height difference is cuter.

Taecyeon drives them to the set and Junmyeon strictly instructs the twins to behave (he trusts Jihyun to behave). Minseok meets them at the entrance and he says, “Okay, I want everyone to be silent, okay? They are re-shooting one last thing before final edit, so no sounds, okay?” He stresses the last point to the twins, who look all serious and press their fingers to their lips (he too trusts Jihyun to behave).

They enter the set and Minseok finds them seats. As expected, Sunny and Taecyeon disappear, but Junmyeon knows they are nearby, in case the twins do something stupid. Their dedication and care for the kids sometimes amazes Junmyeon. For now, he turns his attention to the shooting and he realises the set is of a hospital’s interior and he is impressed by how accurate they have set up the intensive care unit. It is almost believable, if not for the missing ceiling. He watches on as Yifan enters, his hair slicked back, which sharpens his cheekbones and makes him look older. He is dressed in a pinstriped suit and large, thin wired spectacles, and he looks very good. Junmyeon feels his mouth go dry.

There is a little girl lying on the bed with her eyes closed. The director says, “Action!” and the cameras start rolling and Junmyeon can see Yifan getting into character and it is such a subtle transformation. Junmyeon won’t lie, he did watch some of Yifan’s movies, mostly the Korean ones. The last Chinese (subbed obviously) one he watched was idiotic (the ending made him furious) and he stayed away for a while. However, he knows bits and pieces of the story of this movie and he is interested to see the shooting. Since he knows some things about the plot, he comprehends that Yifan is shooting the scene where his character’s young neighbour, afflicted with blood cancer, gets admitted to the hospital for the last time.

Junmyeon, even the children, are silent as they watch Yifan acting. It is something that jolts them all—they are not used to see Yifan like this. He is the actor here, and as he acts his part of the distraught man who loses his friend to a deadly disease, Junmyeon is hypnotised. His grief feels real and when the camera pans to his face, Junmyeon gasps at the sadness in his eyes. He also thinks how expressive Yifan’s eyes are, how easily they reflect what’s in his heart. For a second, he thinks back to the hope he saw in his eyes all those mornings ago.

Junmyeon looks away for a second, too distressed as he next remembers the guilt in Yifan’s eyes on the same day. Now, he wonders if maybe Yifan’s hope reflecting in his eyes was part of his imagination or a proof of Yifan’s acting prowess. He shakes his head to dispel this thought and focuses on the scene. The director calls for a cut as Yifan’s character slumps over the bed, his shoulders shaking.

Yifan stands up and claps rain down like thunder. The kids too clap and cheer for their uncle. Yifan smiles, and it is tinged with a hint of embarrassment. He accepts a tissue from an assistant and dabs his eyes. Junmyeon tries to stop them, but the children bound from their seats and run up to their Fanfan.

Yifan widens his eyes, surprised that they had seen him acting. Junseo grabs his trousers and pouts up at him, “Fanfan, are you okay?”

Yifan kneels and smiles, “I was just acting kiddo.”

Jihyun beams, “Looked so real uncle!”

Yifan turns a bright shade of red. “Huh, thanks Jihyun.”

“Yeah,” Junmyeon smiles down at Yifan, who straightens up. “You were good there.”

Yifan takes a bow and the kids burst into laughter. Several of the people come hover around the kids, all cooing over them, calling them cute and very well-mannered. Both Yifan and Junmyeon beam at that. The little actor girl hops down the bed and she looks at Jihyun with much interest. Junmyeon thinks they might be of the same age, so he smiles down at her, “Hi, you are Dahyun, aren’t you?” Yifan had talked about her, calling her more professional than his actual co-star. The girl nods her head, blushing a little. Junmyeon nudges Jihyun forward, “This is Jihyun.”

Jihyun grins, shyly, “Hi.” Dahyun greets back and she finds Jihyun’s hair clip interesting, and they start talking.

Yifan looks at the girls talking and says to Junmyeon, “Let me go change.” Junmyeon nods and Yifan heads back to the changing rooms.

Someone taps Junmyeon’s shoulder and he turns around to find an assistant looking at him with wide eyes. He asks, “Yes?”

The assistant smiles, “Hi, I am Sooyoung. I saw you on TV with Mr Wu once.”

“Oh, yeah,” Junmyeon thinks back to that press conference and grins a little.

“I just,” her eyes flick elsewhere as she blushes, “You are even better looking in person.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen and he is now the one blushing. “Ah, Sooyoung-sshi, thank you, I guess.”

“No, really! You could totally become a model, you know, like for a beauty brand or something!” she giggles, and Junmyeon finds himself chuckling. He grins, “No, I am happy to be a doctor.” Sooyoung gets called by someone, so she bows and walks away.

Junmyeon is still feeling flustered when Yifan returns. When the taller finds Junmyeon with his face red, he asks Jihyun, “What happened to your uncle?”

“He got asked to become a model,” Jihyun giggles and Dahyun joins her.

Yifan raises an eyebrow when Junmyeon squawks indignantly. “Really? Wow, Junmyeon, will you be giving me competition soon?”

Junmyeon grumbles, “Oh shut up.”

Yifan laughs and the children join them. “Anyway, let’s go? Minseok booked a table for us at Country House. We will have privacy there.”

Junmyeon nods and the twins hop over to take his hands. Jihyun looks at Dahyun for a beat, and then back up at Yifan and the older gets her plea. He kneels in front of Dahyun, “Would you like to join us?” The girl’s eyes widen and she looks to the side, where her father, who is also her manager, is standing. Yifan straightens up and her father walks over with a big smile. He says, “It is fine Yifan-sshi, you can take her with you. I trust you to bring her back home safely. I see she made some friends.” He beams down at Jihyun who bows and then grins at Dahyun.

Sunny and Taecyeon join them at the car, and it is a tight fit, but they all manage to get inside the car anyway. Minseok joins them as well, and the ride to Country House is loud and filled with laughter. Yifan and Junmyeon are separated by Junseo and Junhyung. Every time Junmyeon laughs at something either Minseok or Sunny says, Yifan cannot help but look. He has a grey turtleneck on and Yifan thinks he looks great.

Junmyeon is laughing at an anecdote Minseok shares about the shooting when he turns his head and finds Yifan quickly looking away. His smile wanes a little; Yifan was looking at him. He watches Yifan’s ears turn red as he feigns interest in the conversation Dahyun and Jihyun are having.

They reach the restaurant and Yixing widens his eyes when he sees the party emerging from the car. He grumbles, “I will need to join tables. Wow, Yifan, you brought a village.” He notices Dahyun and tilts his head to the side. “And who is this?”

Yifan pats Dahyun’s head. “My other co-star. She is debuting with this movie and she is already a very good actress.”

Dahyun blushes at Yifan’s compliment and Junmyeon bites back the urge to coo at her. Yixing shakes her hands, asks for an autograph, which flusters her some more, and ushers them in. He does end up joining two tables for the nine of them. Yifan is still on his diet, but he doesn’t say no to the pizzas or desserts the twins order. Minseok had booked the entire restaurant for the night, so no other patrons come. Later, even Yixing and Taekwoon join, and the noise volume increases when Taekwoon starts sharing stories about the one year he and Yifan were training to be actors, much to Yifan’s chagrin.

It is near nine when Junseo starts yawning, cueing the adults to get up. Yifan settles the bill, despite Taekwoon arguing with him. They squeeze into the van again and Taecyeon drops Dahyun first. Minseok is going to stay with them and leave for China tomorrow with Yifan. Taecyeon, too, is going, so the two of them roll out mattresses in Yifan’s room. Junmyeon bites back his laughter when he sees Sunny’s face falling as Taecyeon dutifully follows his boss upstairs.

Yifan, wanting to spend as much time as he can with the children, offers to get them ready for bed. Jihyun handles bedtime on her own, but the twins are another story. Jihyun offers her help, and together with her, Yifan manages to get the twins to take a bath. Jihyun is coaxing Junhyung to brush his teeth while Yifan is trying to get the nightshirt down Junseo’s torso, who thought this is the right time to mimic a snake.

Junmyeon chooses that moment to head over to the twin’s bedroom and the sight of Yifan trying to dress Junseo makes him laugh. Yifan has his back turned to him, and Junseo’s head is lost underneath the shirt, so they don’t see him. But as Junmyeon watches Yifan’s patient attempts to get Junseo listen to him, he cannot help but allow the ever-familiar warmth spreading through him.

He thinks back to the hours spend on set, watching Yifan is in element. He was so masterful that Junmyeon almost forgot he can also be an idiot off camera. Yifan has many sides to him and Junmyeon finds liking them all. Yifan can be powerful when he wants and soft when he is with the people he cares about. Junmyeon is awed as he watches the man who acted grief-stricken a few hours ago be like this, relaxed and fatherly, with Junseo now. Somewhere, deep in his mind, he thinks how Yifan could be someone so easy to fall in love with.

As soon as that dangerous thought registers, Junmyeon takes a deep breath and steps back. He walks to his room and closes his doors. His chest heaves as he thinks how truly, easily he can fall for Yifan, a man who can never be his.

 

It has been a little over a week since Yifan left, and the children have been looking a little morose. So, one night after Junmyeon returns from work, he calls Yifan up.

Yifan is taken aback to see Junmyeon calling him, but he picks up the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, are you free right now?” Junmyeon asks.

Yifan pushes the script off his lap and sits up on the hotel bed. “Yeah I am.”

“Good, um, is your laptop close? I was thinking of video calling you, the kids would like to see you.”

 _I would like to see you._ “Oh yes, sure. I want to see them too. I will call you in ten?”

“Yeah, okay.” Junmyeon disconnects and sighs. He hasn’t called Yifan in the nine days he wasn’t here. The kids called him every now and then, but Junmyeon never talked. He missed Yifan, but what was the use of him being here anyway? There has been a certain distance between them ever since his birthday and Junmyeon knows they can never close it. Thus, living under the same roof or miles away from each other makes no difference.

He calls the kids in his room, and when they sprawl all over his bed, he pulls his laptop towards himself. He smiles, “Fanfan wants to see all of you!”

The children shout in joy. Junmyeon turns on his laptop, and Yifan’s call comes in exactly ten minutes. Junmyeon grins at his punctuality and moves to the side, allowing the three children to sit directly in front of the webcam. He connects the call, and when Yifan’s face shows up on the screen, the twins scream, “Fanfan!”

“Hey there!” Yifan shouts right back.

Yifan cannot edge another word in as the three of them start talking. Junmyeon putters about his room, straightening things that do not need fixing, avoiding going to see Yifan’s face. He wants to deny how much he missed Yifan. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the longing in his heart. However, a few minutes pass and Jihyun yawns. Junmyeon notices it is almost bedtime for them and finally joins them on the bed.

When Junmyeon’s form appears, Yifan’s heart skips a beat. He is dressed in a soft white sweater and his hair is fluffier than usual. Junmyeon says, “Okay, kids, time for bed.” He braves a look at Yifan and finds his heart stuttering at the way the latter’s wet hair falls into his eyes. He notices the dark circles under Yifan’s eyes and his words slip before he can rein them back in, “You look tired.”

Yifan chuckles, “Mr Wong is a demanding director.”

Junmyeon smiles, “You should rest then.” Even after everything, Junmyeon doesn’t get why he is still so concerned.

Yifan yawns and Junseo pouts, “Okay Fanfan, time for bed to you too.”

Jihyun smiles, “Yup uncle! We will talk again! I love you!”

The twins chorus, “Good night Fanfan! We love you too!”

Yifan eyes widen and Junmyeon too looks on at the children with his eyes widened. Yifan quickly collects himself and his surprise, “Yeah good night guys, I love you too.”

As the kids leave one by one, Yifan’s voice sounds choked as he mutters, “They have never told me that…”

Junmyeon too sounds moved as he nods. “Yeah…” The kids have never told them they loved either of them, so it came across as quite a surprise. He looks at Yifan, whose eyes are dazed and he has a small smile on his face. “That’s a good thing.”

Yifan nods. “Yeah.” They look at each other, over hundreds of miles away, through their computer screen and both their heart thuds at how much they missed each other. Yifan clears his throat and looks down at his lap, “Good night Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon swallows, his fingers hovering over the trackpad. “Good night Yifan.” He stops the call and when the wallpaper of the three kids beam up at him, he exhales. He cannot erase the way Yifan was looking at him before he disconnected. There was something akin to longing, but Junmyeon chooses to chalk it up to his imagination again. Yifan has Sehun now, why would he look at him like that?

However, he is pulled out from his thoughts when there is a tentative knock on his door. He says, “Come in.”

Jihyun re-enters the room with her brothers with a long face. Before Junmyeon can ask what it is, Jihyun says, “We forgot to tell you goodnight!”

Junmyeon laughs as he walks over to them and pats her head. “It’s okay Jihyun.”

“And,” Junseo says and throws his hands around Junmyeon’s thighs. “We love you too Moonmoon!”

Junmyeon’s heart warms up as Junhyung and Jihyun follow. He crouches and pulls them all in a hug. He murmurs, “I love you too, all of you.”

The children leave but Jihyun throws one last smile at Junmyeon and the older realises that whatever happens, he can never break their hearts. Time is running out and Junmyeon feels afraid for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case any of you were wondering, the Chinese movie Junmyeon is mad about is Never Gone 2. That ending was so bad, I am still angry about it!


	20. Chapter 20

Three days before Christmas, Yifan returns home without telling anyone. He arrives in the dead of the night, so he doesn’t ring the bell and uses his keys to enter his house. As soon as he steps in, he sees the light pouring from the living room where he receives guests. He frowns before heading inside. His eyebrows rise in surprise when he finds Junmyeon curled up on the black suede sofa with a thick blanket covering the lower half of his body. There is a fire dying in the fireplace and Yifan spots _Tender is the Night_ lying on the carpet. Judging by the askew reading glasses, Yifan can safely fathom that Junmyeon fell asleep while reading.

Yifan clicks his tongue and walks inside. He kindles the fire and picks up the book. Junmyeon had the book opened to page two hundred and a line caught his attention.

_He supposed many men meant no more than that they said they were in love—not a wild submergence of soul, a dipping of all colours into an obscuring dye, such as his love for Nicole had been. Certain thoughts about Nicole, that she should die, sink into mental darkness, love another man, made him physically sick._

He remembers reading this book; he remembers the equally passionate and dispassionate protagonist. He remembers how strange his love had been for the women in his life. But he ends up reading the last line again, and he wonders about his own love for Junmyeon. The thought of Junmyeon leaving him one day or falling for someone else in front of him does twist his stomach in an uncomfortable way and he has to take a breath, has to allow himself a moment to drag himself back from the murky depths of his mind.

He shakes his head to shake of his thoughts as he gently removes the spectacles hanging off Junmyeon’s nose. The golden orange light from the fire dances across Junmyeon’s face and once again, Yifan stays still, amazed by the beauty. He may have been a coward but someday someone will be braver than him, and Junmyeon will be gone. What then? Will he smile and wave at their wedding?

He remembers how he tried to show his disinterest when Junmyeon would excitedly talk about his wedding with Chanyeol (another obvious sign of his jealousy). He had distanced himself, claiming to be busy and telling himself he couldn’t stand Junmyeon’s hyperactive self. He maintained his distance even when Chanyeol cheated and broke Junmyeon’s heart. He was afraid of something and now he realises what he was afraid of.

He always had been afraid of Junmyeon being with someone else. First, it was Jungkook, then it was Chanyeol. And there will be someone else in the future, what will he do then?

He gets to his feet and pulls the blanket over Junmyeon’s body. He doesn’t linger and he fights the want to touch Junmyeon. He leaves the room and makes sure he is careful as he closes the door.

 

Sunlight floods the room and when it falls on Junmyeon’s face, he slowly peels his eyes open. He sits up and looks around, realising he is still in the living room. He finds his book and glasses neatly arranged on the coffee table; he wonders if he did that. The fire has died, but the room is now warm due to the sunlight. He gets to his feet and stretches. He yawns as he walks towards the kitchen, wanting a glass of water.

As he steps into the kitchen, he finds a very familiar face drinking coffee on the dining table. Junmyeon blinks, trying to get rid of the last vestiges of sleep, wondering if he is dreaming things. He asks, his voice croaking, “What are you doing here?”

Yifan puts down his mug and grins. “Oh, good morning.”

Junmyeon gets himself some water and stands opposite Yifan. Yes, it is really him; Yifan is really sitting in front of him after twenty days. “When did you get here?”

“Last night.”

“Oh.” The glasses and book now makes sense. Junmyeon doesn’t remember putting those items on the coffee table.

“Oh, right, I guess you have to know as well,” Yifan gets up and walks towards the sink to place his mug. “I came back for the annual Christmas eve party thrown by my company. Taeyeon invited us both this year. The kids are invited as well.”

Junmyeon frowns, “The kids?”

Yifan chuckles. “Yeah, don’t worry. It is a kid-friendly party. Most people signed under the company have a family, so the parties are always carefully planned. Like there is alcohol, but not too much of it.”

Junmyeon scratches his head. “Okay, I guess.” Then he laughs as he remembers something, “I actually went shopping for them a few days ago. I, um, also got you something.”

Yifan whips his head around and finds Junmyeon looking at his toes with a faint blush on his cheeks. He mutters, “I got them things too. And for you as well.”

“Thanks then,” Junmyeon says. “I need to get ready for work, so, yeah.” He turns around and stalks out of the room. He enters his bedroom and opening his closet, brings out the small black shopping bag. He presses his lips as he grabs the small jewellery box from inside the bag. He opens the lid and wonders if Yifan will like the ruby-encrusted cufflinks. He bought them on a whim after a certain high school memory made him laugh in the shopping mall a few days ago. He closes the lid and decides to just leave it at Yifan’s room.

After keeping Yifan’s gift at the foot of the stairs leading to his room, Junmyeon gets ready and leaves. He finds Yifan in the hall talking to someone on the phone. He is smiling and Junmyeon halts for a second. Yifan walks into the other living room and Junmyeon breathes. If Yifan could just stop looking attractive in just a sweatshirt and track pants, he would be eternally grateful.

And that smile? Was he talking to Sehun? Junmyeon tells himself it is none of his business as he walks out of the doors.

 

On Christmas eve, Junmyeon brings out his camera again because the Ahn children look too adorable in the clothes their uncles got them. Jihyun is dressed in a red velvet dress with lace edges that Junmyeon got her with white mittens that she got from Yifan. Sunny twisted her hair into braids near her temples and the strong resemblance to Soohyun makes both Junmyeon and Yifan gasp for a second. The twins too look very handsome; Junseo is in black woollen trousers and a red turtleneck while Junhyung is wearing suspenders over his navy shirt with black dress pants. They are both wearing leather shoes Yifan got them from some international brand in Shanghai.

Yifan manages to take Junmyeon’s breath away in the slim black suit with the black embossed silk shirt. Junmyeon smiles when he spots the ruby-encrusted dragon cufflinks on his cuffs. Junmyeon too paired the cerulean silk shirt he got from Yifan with his black suit. He actually made an effort with his hair (with Sunny’s help) and they fall over one side of his head in soft waves. Yifan’s hand itch to touch that gleaming swoop of hair, so he thrusts his hands into his pockets and smiles as Junmyeon takes some pictures of him with the kids as well. He also tries to not think too much about unhindered expanse of pale skin due to the three buttons Junmyeon has left unbuttoned from the top.

Then, like always, Junmyeon gets pushed beside Yifan to get his picture taken. This time it is Sunny behind the camera. Yifan maintains a gap between them and Junmyeon recalls how every other time Yifan pulled him closer. He doesn’t try to dwell on how that upsets him in the slightest.

They get into the Aston Martin, but this time the twins don’t fight and happily get on the back seats with their sister. Yifan and Junmyeon share an amused glance. Taeyeon lives in Apgujeong and she lives in a residential area in a three-storeyed asymmetric white house. Junmyeon minutely frowns, but Yifan catches it and laughs, “Right, your hatred for modern architecture.”

“Shut up,” Junmyeon mumbles as he unbuckles his seat belt. The house has huge glass windows on all three levels and he can see the party is in full swing. The first level even has a giant Christmas tree in it and it does look very pretty. The kids start chattering excitedly as they spot the tree; even Junmyeon looks on impressed.

Yifan parks the car on the side of the road and they step out of the car. They enter the house of Lion Heart Talent Agency’s CEO and Taeyeon herself opens the door. She is dressed in a beaded champagne dress and she looks beautiful. She hugs Yifan, and Junmyeon too, and when she notices the children, her grin widens, “Oh, I am so glad you all came! Dahyun has been waiting for you three to come for ages!”

At the mention of her new friend, Jihyun’s face lights up. Taeyeon ushers them in and Jihyun runs off as soon as she finds Dahyun. The twins follow when they find Doyoung and his older brother. They hover around the tree and eye the various pastries laid out on the table beside it. “You can eat a cake if you’d like, I won’t tell your parents,” Changmin whispers to them like it is some big conspiracy. The twins don’t wait for anything else before grabbing some Christmas themed cupcakes for themselves.

Meanwhile, Yifan pulls Junmyeon along as they meet some people. Junmyeon even recognises some of the celebrities and he is a little awestruck when he comes face to face with Kim Taehee, who is more beautiful in real life. They are heading towards the drinks table when a slim, good-looking man in a fuzzy silver sweater shouts, “Yifan!”

Yifan turns his head and he grins when the man skips closer to him, wrapping him a hug. Junmyeon nearly trips on air when he realises the man hugging Yifan is none other than the nation’s rapper G-Dragon himself. The man releases Yifan and when he notices Junmyeon, he smirks, “Ah, you must be Kim Junmyeon, right? I have heard a lot about you.”

G-Dragon a.k.a Kwon Jiyong knows about him? _Him_? What sort of alternate reality has he stepped into? He is about to ask the how and the what when a very familiar voice says behind Jiyong, “Ah hyung, where did you go?”

The rapper turns and Junmyeon’s eyes widen when he recognises the tall man in the branded shirt and skin-tight jeans is none other than Jungkook himself. Their eyes meet and even Yifan looks surprised. Jungkook has two glasses of white wine in his hand, one of which he gives to Jiyong. He grins, “Hey hyung.”

“Hey yourself,” Junmyeon says and when Jiyong casually snakes his arms around Jungkook’s waist, his confusion just increases.

Jiyong scoffs. “He wouldn’t stop talking about you from the day he reconnected with you! I was almost jealous!”

Jungkook smiles and shakes his head, his eyes filled with affection as he lightly punches Jiyong’s shoulder. “Yeah right.”

Yifan finally breaks, “What? I don’t see you for months and then it turns out you are with my former junior?”

Jiyong looks a bit sheepish. “Yeah, I have been dating Jungkook for a year now.”

Suddenly, it clicks in Junmyeon’s head; he shouts, “What? G-Dragon is the cool, older man you are dating?” Jungkook had told him as such when they last met, but he seemed reluctant to say the person’s name and Junmyeon legitimately thought it wasn’t a boyfriend but a sugar daddy (he is mentally dying now).

Jungkook blushes and ducks his head, “Yup.”

Jiyong guffaws. “Well, surprise?”

Yifan laughs and something akin to relief fills his body. “Why does no one know this? GD dating and the media hasn’t spent their resources trying to stalk you?”

Jiyong face hardens a little as he says, “Yeah, that’s exactly why. I hate how people just jump on my back every time I so as much looks at someone. Jungkook isn’t a celebrity, can you imagine the mess?” Junmyeon and Yifan nod, both feeling upset at the small pout on Jungkook’s face. Jiyong notices it as well and pulls Jungkook closer. “But I really happen to love this idiot, so there’s that.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes and tries to push Jiyong away, despite the obvious blush on his face. Jiyong fakes being distraught and all of them end up laughing. Jungkook manages to push Jiyong away and asks Junmyeon, “So did you bring your kids here? Can I meet them?”

Junmyeon glances at Yifan once, who nods. Junmyeon replies, “Sure, come on.” He walks towards the kids and Jungkook follows.

When Junmyeon has left the two men alone, Jiyong smirks, “That was such a married couple move.”

“What?” Yifan asks.

“Him silently asking you for permission to let Kookie meet the kids.” Yifan rolls his eyes, though he does realise what he and Junmyeon did right now was kind of what Jiyong said. Jiyong notices the confusion on Yifan’s face and he laughs as he throws an arm around the taller, “Anyway, I gotta thank you for Jungkook in a way.”

Yifan asks, this time in surprise, “What? How?”

Jiyong’s smile is fond when he answers, “If you hadn’t recommended chef Do for my last birthday party, I would have never met Kookie. He looked so cute in his chef’s white, I had to ask him out then and there!”

Jiyong drags Yifan along and the latter loses sight of Junmyeon. He meets some other actors and idols he hasn’t seen in a while. Some congratulate him for bagging a prestigious project like _Blossoms_ ; others are obviously envious, masking their envy well under sweet words but Yifan brushes it off like always. It has been a decade, but the fact that he is a model-turned-actor still has him facing much contempt.

Yifan is still on his first drink when he finds Junmyeon talking to internationally-reputed classical musician Byun Baekhyun in the music room on the second level. The pianist has his fingers resting on Junmyeon’s elbow and as Yifan narrows his eyes, he realises Junmyeon might be a little drunk, as judged by the deep pink on his face. He knows Byun’s reputation for luring people to his bed; no way is he going to allow for this. He politely asks people to move and he strides towards them. Baekhyun notices him and his eyes widen, “Ah, Yifan! Long time no see!”

The shorter man wraps his arms around Yifan and the latter wants to growl in annoyance. This close, he notices the slightly glazed look on Junmyeon’s eyes and he is now entirely certain that Junmyeon is drunk. Yifan bites out, “Nice to see you too.”

Baekhyun pulls back and his eyes are filled with mischief. He looks over his shoulder and winks at Junmyeon, “I was just keeping your plus one company!”

Junmyeon just giggles at that and Yifan’s eyes widen. Just how drunk is Junmyeon? “I told Baekhyun-sshi it is nothing like that, but he doesn’t want to listen!” Then he pouts and Yifan’s feels his resolve weakening. He nudges Baekhyun to the side and grabs Junmyeon’s wrist, who looks at him in surprise, “Yifan?”

Yifan swallows at the gentle brown eyes peering up at him. “Let’s go home, okay?”

Junmyeon nods and doesn’t protest as Yifan drags him. He grins at Baekhyun, “Okay! Bye bye Baekhyun-sshi! It was nice meeting you!”

Baekhyun laughs, “It was nice meeting you too!” Then for some reason, as they pass through the doorframe, he shouts, “Stop! Both of you!”

Yifan halts and turns around to glare at Baekhyun, “What?”

Baekhyun grins, his eyes even more mischievous than before, “Look up Wu.”

Both Yifan and Junmyeon look up at the same time, and Yifan’s heart falls somewhere near the vicinity of his ankles. There is a mistletoe hanging from the doorframe. Baekhyun’s shout attracts attention, and now everyone else in the room turn to look at them. Yifan looks down at Junmyeon, who has his eyes narrowed at the decoration and he is blushing deeply. Yifan is about to open his mouth to say they don’t have to do this when Baekhyun starts shouting, “Kiss! Kiss!”

Much to Yifan’s horror, the other people join Baekhyun as well and the balding music producer Yifan faintly recognised even makes kissy faces at them. Yifan recoils and he is about to bolt, when he feels soft, warm hands wrapping around his neck. He turns his head and to his surprise, Junmyeon tugs him down and presses his lips against his, and Yifan’s brain stops working.

Junmyeon has his eyes closed but Yifan’s are wide open as his heart races and his mind blanks out. Junmyeon is so close, he can count all his eyelashes. The kiss doesn’t even last beyond a couple of seconds, but Yifan knows he will never forget how soft Junmyeon’s lips were against his as long as he lives. Junmyeon releases him and starts giggling. The people in the room start applauding and laughing, but Yifan is still in shock.

It is Junmyeon this time as he holds Yifan’s wrist and pulls him away, not without a wave at Baekhyun’s direction, who starts cackling. Yifan allows himself to be dragged by Junmyeon down the stairs. Yifan cannot hear anything over his heart pounding. _Junmyeon kissed him._ And it was all in jest, but it happened.

They find the children with Changmin, and Yifan is pulled out of his own head when the older man says, “Hey there Yifan, are you guys leaving?”

Junmyeon answers for him, “Yes Changmin-sshi.” He hears Jihyun and the twins whine a little, but he shakes his head at them.

Changmin laughs, “Alright, alright. Wait here, let me get their gifts.”

Yifan waves his hand, “Ah Changmin, why—”

Changmin waves him off and disappears for a moment before returning with three small packages wrapped in jewel-bright paper. He hands each one to the three children and they cry in unison, “Thank you uncle!”

“You are welcome,” Changmin ruffles Junseo’s hair. Taeyeon joins her husband to see them off as well.

Yifan and Junmyeon collect the children and they head over to the car. Junmyeon yawns, “Hey, Jihyun? Can you sit beside Yifan? I feel sleepy.”

Jihyun smiles, “No problem uncle!” She climbs on the passenger seat and buckles her seatbelt.

Junmyeon gets on the rear seats with the twins. As soon as the car gets to the main road, Junmyeon and the twins doze off. Jihyun looks back and giggles, “They all fell asleep!”

Yifan chuckles, “Yeah…did you enjoy yourself?”

Jihyun smiles and her eyes gleam, “Yes Yifan uncle, I did! Dahyun is so nice and the food was so yummy! Thank you, uncle, for bringing us to the party!” Yifan uses his free hand to pat Jihyun’s head. She closes her eyes and murmurs, “I wish we could stay like this forever, the five of us uncle.”

Her words startle Yifan. He recalls what Junmyeon told him about her sessions with Namjoon. He is suddenly aware of how fast this year flew by. Jihyun wants all of them to be together, but with the way things are developing between him and Junmyeon, he wonders if it would be possible to live together.

He unconsciously raises his finger to touch his lips and the memory of Junmyeon’s lips on them is achingly fresh. A tingle passes through is body and he suddenly finds it hard to breathe. He wills himself to take a few breaths and tries to clear his mind. He knows when tomorrow comes, Junmyeon would come to apologise and tell he was drunk so that’s why he did, as if kissing Yifan sober is utterly impossible and Junmyeon rather kiss someone else than him.

The car stops at a red light, and Yifan takes this moment to look at Junmyeon. His gaze lands on those pink lips and the urge to feel them again strengthens. He tears his gaze away and glares at the red light. What is he thinking? If he tried kissing Junmyeon, he would ruin everything and he cannot do that, especially when three innocent souls depend upon them.

 

Next morning, Junmyeon wakes up with a faint headache at the back of his head. He remembers losing count after the third glass of red wine. He also remembers Byun Baekhyun flirting with him. Then, his brain reminds him of him kissing Yifan and the mortification rises; he curls up on the bed and putting his head in his hands, groans. His humiliation increases when he remembers that Yifan also supported him as they walked up the stairs and tucked him in bed, pulling his shoes and coat off. He looks down at the wrinkled cerulean shirt and curses himself some more.

He gets up and the world feels off balance, but he cannot care about that right now. His stomach swoops as he stands up and he feels the tiniest bit dizzy. He cancels finding Yifan first and heads to the bathroom instead. He washes his face and brushes his teeth. He also chucks the shirt off and finds a t-shirt hanging from the hooks behind the door. He tugs it over his torso and _now_ he feels ready to face Yifan.

He heads to the kitchen, hoping Yifan is there, and he does find him there with Minseok, who is zipping up a bag. When he frowns at it, Minseok smiles, “Oh, good morning Junmyeon! We are leaving again, and so soon too, even though Yifan had a few more days of bre—”

“Minseok, don’t you have to call Seohyun?” Yifan shouts from the table where he is eating his breakfast. Junmyeon whips his head around and when their eyes meet, Yifan quickly looks away.

Junmyeon is beyond embarrassed. He shouldn’t have done what he did, but the alcohol in his system made him braver than he actually is. And Yifan is now leaving again, and even though Minseok got interrupted, he understands that Yifan is making a quick escape. Junmyeon knows why though and it just makes him feel worse. Is Yifan so disgusted to be kissed by him that he rather run from him than enjoy the rest of his break?

Yifan gets to his feet and Junmyeon realises he is already dressed. He has the red scarf he got on his birthday wrapped around his neck, and it shouldn’t make Junmyeon happy, but it does. Minseok had left to make the call to his girlfriend, and when he returns, he notices the strange tension between the two men immediately. He carefully asks, “Yifan?”

Yifan looks at Minseok and just nods his head. Junmyeon feels like his time is running out and if he doesn’t say anything, it will be too late. So, he tries, “Yifan, I am—”

Yifan picks up a bag and cuts Junmyeon off, “You are sorry, I know. It’s okay, I don’t…care.” The lie feels like a disease spreading through his body and Yifan almost coughs, disgusted with himself. He opens the backdoor and his voice is faint, and he hopes Junmyeon doesn’t actually hear it when he says, “I am sorry too.”

He walks out before Junmyeon can react—he did hear it. Minseok gives him a small smile before following Yifan outside. Junmyeon remains standing there in the empty kitchen, trying to understand what Yifan meant by _“I am sorry too”_. Why would he be sorry? Junmyeon cannot find an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ABSOLUTELY BLAME TRACKED IN LEVEL FOUR BY dulcepericulum FOR MAKING ME SHIP JUNGKOOK WITH GD


	21. Chapter 21

December ends, and January passes too in a blink of an eye. Jihyun becomes interested in maths and the twins lose their interest in education completely and ask Junmyeon if they can join their other uncle on the silver screen. February arrives and Junmyeon finds himself busy between duty at the hospital and helping Seokjin plan his wedding. Namjoon had been banned from anything wedding related after he broke a very expensive vase at a venue they were looking at. Needless to say, the people at the venue refused to give them a booking. Therefore, Junmyeon ended up accompanying Seokjin everywhere. Whenever he couldn’t, Taehyung, Seokjin’s younger brother helped. He sent Seokjin to Kyungsoo as well, and the patissier agreed to do the wedding cake.

The cards are printed, and Taehyung has been tasked to collect them. It is a Saturday and Junmyeon had the night shift, so he is at Seokjin’s place deciding on the colour scheme for their wedding tuxedos. They are torn between steel blue and dove grey when Taehyung returns with the package. Seokjin yelps and grabs the bundle, happily tearing through the brown paper. The card is simple with a brown envelope tied with a rope. The rope opens to a single piece of ivory paper inside, on which the names of the grooms, the venue and the dress code is written in beautiful cursive. As a personal touch, Namjoon asked for each card to have a piece of dried flower stuck to it. Seokjin hands Junmyeon two cards, one with a dried lavender on it and the other has a dried blue hydrangea on it. When Junmyeon raises an eyebrow, Seokjin explains, “One for you and one for Yifan. And oh, don’t forget to bring the kids!”

Taehyung widens his eyes, “Wu Yifan is invited to your wedding?”

Junmyeon chuckles, “He might not come.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes, “Whatever. My duty was to hand him a card, the rest is up to you. Oh, wait, Taehyungie, can you write their names on the envelope for me?”

As Taehyung gets up to write the names, Seokjin rounds on Junmyeon, “Something happened to you again, hasn’t it?”

Junmyeon widens his eyes as his breath quickens, “What do you mean?”

Seokjin rolls his eyes, “What do you take me for? An idiot? He isn’t here right now, so you miss him, right?”

Junmyeon ducks his head to hide his face. “I-I don’t.”

“Bullshit,” Seokjin scoffs. “You have been off lately, and I related Yifan’s absence to your sour mood.”

Junmyeon pouts as Seokjin’s words hit close to home. He _does_ miss Yifan, but after what he did on Christmas eve, he hasn’t been able to talk to him. Yifan did send him a message on New Year’s, and he did reply, but that was the last communication they had. His fingers had hovered for too long to write out another message, to just ask how he was, but he didn’t find the courage to do so.

Seokjin watches his friend frowning and he shakes his head. He says, his voice soft, “Look, if you miss him, own it. If you like him, own that too.”

Junmyeon gets whiplash by how quick he raises his head. His eyes are wide in fear and he shakes his head vigorously. “You don’t…” he sighs before continuing, “He wouldn’t someone like me Jin.”

Seokjin frowns, “What do you even mean by that?”

Junmyeon doesn’t want to answer and he doesn’t have to when Taehyung returns with the two cards. He even drew a heart beside Yifan’s name and that makes Junmyeon laugh. Seokjin sees it and cuffs his brother on the back of his head, “Taehyungie!”

Taehyung defends himself, “What? I am a big fan!” He then looks at Junmyeon with wide eyes and clasps his hands together, “Please bring him! I want to breathe the same air with him at least once in my lifetime.”

Junmyeon laughs as Seokjin hits his brother again with a grumble, “Creep.”

 

Yifan returns to South Korea for his break, which is longer than the last one. He doesn’t have to leave before summer begins and he vows to relax as much as he can. He has never expended himself so much while acting, even though he is enjoying every bit of it, even the exhaustion. Also, he wants to see the children and Junmyeon again. He talked to the kids almost every day, but Junmyeon and he haven’t shared any messages besides the one he sent on December 31.

He enters the house through the backdoor, and chaos greets him. As soon as he peeks in, Junseo sees him, alerts his siblings and they run up to him. It is late in the evening and Sunny is preparing their dinner. She says, “Yifan, why didn’t say you were coming home? It’s a good thing I haven’t actually started on dinner.”

Yifan smile is timid, “Sorry, I wanted to surprise you all.”

Sunny shakes her head and turns back to the pantry, grabbing more ingredients. When she returns, Yifan asks her, “Where is Junmyeon?”

Jihyun answers instead, “Oh he is at Seokjin uncle’s place. Dr Kim and Seokjin uncle are getting married!”

Yifan raises his eyebrows, “Oh?”

The children drag him to play with them, however, he excuses himself since he needs a shower before anything else. They watch television together till Sunny calls them for dinner. Junmyeon doesn’t return well after ten, looking utterly exhausted. Yifan wasn’t intentionally staying awake for him, he had to go through the script for the second half of the shooting as well. He settles in the kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate when Junmyeon enters. Their gazes meet, and Junmyeon looks surprised as he asks, “Are you back on a break?”

“Yeah,” Yifan answers. “There is some hot chocolate left on the stove if you want some.”

Junmyeon nods and makes himself a cup. He looks at the heaps of paper strewn all over the dining table. “That your script?”

Yifan nods and sighs. “Yep. You look exhausted though. Jihyun told me Seokjin and Namjoon are getting married.”

Junmyeon chuckles as he sips his drink. “Seokjin is stressing, which is stressing Namjoon, who is stressing me. I should have said no when both asked me to be their best man.”

Yifan laughs. “That sounds terrible.”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes as he leans against the kitchen counter. “If Minseok makes you best man, you will know.”

“I am pretty sure Seohyun will make me her maid of honour just for shits and giggles before he can try,” Yifan grins.

Junmyeon starts laughing as he imagines Wu Yifan as the maid of honour. “No offence, but you cannot pull of a dress, not with those legs!”

“Excuse you,” Yifan grunts. “People would kill for my legs.”

They laugh again and Junmyeon feels like it is just like before. Yifan smiles at Junmyeon before he feels his heart clenching. He missed Junmyeon so, so much, but he can’t tell him. So, he returns his attention to the paper in front of him, trying to make sense of the words. Junmyeon finishes his drink and murmurs, “Goodnight Yifan, don’t stay up too late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yifan noncommittally comments. He knows Junmyeon sent an eyeroll his way.

Junmyeon rolls his eyes and places the cup in the sink. He looks at Yifan once over his shoulder and feels this pressure expanding inside him slowly. He heads back to his room and takes a deep breath. Right now, they had a very normal conversation, didn’t they? Maybe Junmyeon can pretend to be like this forever, even though he can feel himself falling apart piece by piece.

 

A week passes and life gets back into a familiar rhythm at the Wu house. The kids are excited for their upcoming session break and are already planning what they want to do. Meanwhile, the adults get a rude reckoning when Joohyun calls them up as March begins. She had called Yifan and asked him to visit her with Junmyeon at her office. Yifan relayed the message to Junmyeon, who sounded surprised. Yifan wasn’t the only one who forgot that their year was coming to a close in a month.

It is eight in the evening, and even though Junmyeon and Yifan reach her office separately, they are both on time. A sense of déjà vu descends on them both as they walk through the empty halls of the building. They take the lift together and when it opens on Joohyun’s floor, echoes of an earlier disagreement linger in the air in front of them. Two phantom figures from the past stand opposite each other, shaking in rage in their minds.

_“You? You are a guardian?”_

_“Seems sensible that’d they appoint me as well, since you are so idiotic!”_

_“Excuse me? Who do you think you are talking to?”_

_“Someone who lacks a few grey cells here and there?”_

_“Fuck off Junmyeon!”_

_“Who the fuck are you telling to fuck off you fucker?”_

They share a glance, and both wear a small, tired smile on their faces. They have come far from there, a lot far. From enemies to friends to co-parents. Both realise their developments and it amazes them. Yifan words it loud, “Huh, this feels so strange.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Junmyeon smirks and Yifan knows he doesn’t mean that in a bad way. Yifan just grins in response.

They find Joohyun sitting serenely in her office. She doesn’t smile as she sees them, but she doesn’t look like she will start scolding them any time soon either. She gestures them to take a seat and doesn’t beat around the bush as she begins, “Okay, you know why I called you here. The agreement ends in a month.”

Yifan nods. “We know Joohyun-sshi.”

“Then you also know the court will fix a date soon, and both of you will have to fight for their custody.”

Junmyeon nods this time and swallows around the knot in his throat. “We remember Joohyun-sshi.”

“Good, so are you ready to settle on a date? We don’t fix a date now, we will do another meeting with your lawyers first for that,” Joohyun says and shuffles some papers, looking for a particular document.

Yifan speaks up, a bit agitated, “Joohyun-sshi? I don’t want to fight Junmyeon in court. Is there any way to let him get complete custody?”

Junmyeon turns to look at Yifan in surprise. Joohyun looks equally surprised but she hides it better than Junmyeon. She leans forward and crosses her elbows, “Are you sure you want that?”

Yifan nods his head but Junmyeon protests, “What? No! I don’t—Yifan can have their custody Joohyun-sshi.”

Joohyun raises an eyebrow and watches with much interest as Yifan rounds on Junmyeon and raises his voice a little, “What are you talking about? The kids love you, they would be better with you. Didn’t you say my life was dangerous?”

Junmyeon frowns, his voice rising as well, “Well, you protected them as much as you could and I cannot do this to them! They love their Fanfan, okay? I am not cruel enough to do that to them!”

“And you think I am?” Yifan asks, now getting angry. “I will not forgive myself if I hurt them!”

“And you think I want to hurt them?”

“Enough!” Joohyun interrupts. To say their exchange surprised her would be the understatement of the year. It is clear to her that both Yifan and Junmyeon are unwilling to engage in a custody battle for the sake of the children. But they need to come to a consensus sooner than later. “I have to tell you something as well,” she fishes out a brief. “Moon Jongup filed for their custody last year. His lawyer didn’t send it to me till a few months ago and I knew there was no use in bringing it up till I met you two, so if you cannot make up your minds, Moon Jongup can go to court and get their custody. He is family after all.”

Yifan picks up the petition and frowns, “Moon Jongup?”

Junmyeon peers over his shoulder and he frowns as well. “Isn’t that the lowlife cousin Soohyun had?”

Joohyun nods her head. “Yes. He has a record, but it is all for petty crime and he actually was let go because of good behaviour. But I did some detective work and I surmised that he is most probably after the Ahn children’s inheritance.”

Junmyeon nods his head. “Yeah, Myeongju told us.”

“So, I hope you realise now how important it is that you do something about this and soon.”

“What would you suggest?” Yifan asks, his voice hopeful.

Joohyun clears her throat. “Adoption is the best solution. They are both minors, so if one of you could adopt them.”

“One of us?” Junmyeon sounds unsure.

“I know you do not want to separate the kids, but this is all I can give you for the meantime,” Joohyun says with a slightly melancholy expression.

Yifan nods. “We get it. How about we schedule a meeting tomorrow to go over this? We will bring our lawyers?”

“Yes, that’d be great. Is eleven in the morning okay?”

The two men agree to the time and leave her office. No one says so, but Junmyeon returns home with Yifan. Neither of them talk much as Yifan drives them back home.

Yifan is parking the car and Junmyeon is unbuckling his seat belt when Yifan says, “Jihyun said she wants us all to be together forever.”

Junmyeon sighs. “I know, I know.”

“If we separate, it will hurt them.”

“I know that as well Yifan.” Junmyeon sounds defeated and Yifan hates this situation. “I thought I had all the time in the world.”

Yifan bitterly scoffs. “Me too.”

“You will stay here for some time, right?”

Yifan nods his head, “I don’t have to return till May.”

“Good, I need you here Yifan.”

Yifan throat chokes up and he knows Junmyeon is looking at him, but he can’t look back. He might do something he regrets. He unlocks his car doors and says, “Let’s just go to bed, we have to meet Joohyun tomorrow.”

 

Having texted their lawyers last night, Junmyeon and Yifan leave the house together. Himchan and Seunghyun meet them at the office, and the atmosphere is sombre instead of the hyper-charged one the last meeting in this same conference room was.

This time too, Joohyun takes the lead and grazes her eyes over each male in the room. Junmyeon and Yifan are sitting upright, their bodies tensed. The lawyers are reading through each clause carefully. Suddenly Seunghyun asks, “Say, if my client does adopt the kids, does that mean they will have to change addresses? If say, Yifan adopts them, can’t Junmyeon stay with them?”

Junmyeon’s face lights up at the suggestion and even Yifan leans forward in interest. However, Himchan pours water over their excitement, “I don’t think so? The social service registration will allow for one parent, right? And what relation will Junmyeon have with them? He is just a friend and he has his own place of residence. Of course, we can appeal for Junmyeon to stay on the premises.”

“Of course, we can,” Joohyun agrees and Junmyeon and Yifan share a hopeful smile. “But Junmyeon would have no rights over the kids.” Junmyeon’s smile drops but he knows he is okay with that, as long as he gets to be close to them.

Seunghyun, though, grins the next moment and his eyes gleam when he says, “Obviously, there is one way to ensure they _both_ get to adopt the kids.”

Yifan leans closer to his lawyer, his eyes wide, “What is it?”

Himchan chuckles when he realises what Seunghyun is getting at. He says, “Marriage. If you two are legally bound, it might actually make the adoption process easier.” Seunghyun nods.

Junmyeon and Yifan gasp at the same time and both turn their head at Joohyun’s direction. She bites her lip and sees sense in Himchan’s suggestion. She slowly says, “It _will_ make the adoption process easier. Most judges like couples than single parents.”

When Yifan and Junmyeon realise all three of them are in favour of the marriage suggestion, they look at each other with their eyes widened. _Marriage?_


	22. Chapter 22

Yifan whispers, “Marriage?”

Himchan nods. “Look at this in a positive way. If you have a legal binding, it gives you better chances to adopt them, and when you do adopt them, you manage to keep this cousin away from the kids, which should be your priority. Remember, the cousin is still family, he has a legal right, and he can exercise it.”

Seunghyun nods, “So, if you get married, you can both adopt them together and not allow the cousin to even get close. I mean, if the judge sees your reports from Miss Park and considers the fact that you are two upstanding citizens of this country, you two will win very easily. But if you go at this singularly, the court may judge you on certain factors.”

“And the first one will be the fact that Yifan is an actor,” Joohyun adds. “Which, no matter how much a respectful profession, is still shrouded in much negativity. Junmyeon being a doctor gives you validation in a sense. So, if both of you applied for adoption separately, Junmyeon has a far better chance at winning than you, Yifan. But, if you are together, married with the documents to prove, trust me, the entire process of adoption will go smoother.”

Junmyeon suddenly gets to his feet, his chest heaving. He says, “I—I need to think about this, I am sorry.” With that, he spins around and rushes out of the room.

Yifan watches Junmyeon go and sighs. “You all don’t know what you just asked us to do.”

“Don’t you love the kids?” Joohyun asks, her voice hard. “I thought, from last night, as judged by your behaviours, that none of you were willing to let the children go?”

“We don’t,” Yifan bites back, his voice equally harsh. “I want to be with the kids, and so does Junmyeon!”

“So, isn’t this the best way?”

“If only he didn’t hate me Miss Bae, this _would_ be the best option!” Yifan shouts and stands up. He marches out of the room in large angry steps.

The three lawyers look at them leave with varied degrees of surprise on their faces. Himchan picks a paper up, which contains a report from Park Bom. He clears his throat, “Um, why does this say that the foster parents seemed to be cooperative and in sync with each other?”

“Yeah,” Seunghyun agrees. “That sort of negates what we just saw, right?”

 

Junmyeon sneaks in like a thief after his shift at the hospital. He heads straight to his room and to his surprise, he finds Yifan pacing in the corridor. There are so many words that can be said right now, but none of them open their mouths to say them. Junmyeon looks scared while Yifan looks like he would bolt anytime now. Junmyeon wants to hear from Yifan that it isn’t possible, that they can never get married. Yifan wants to ask him if he would, marry him that is, because after he left the office, he imagined how that would be. They would be able to keep the children together, and their marriage will never be the conventional one, but hey, who cares what their personal dynamics are. Junmyeon halts, and so does Yifan, and they both look at each other for a few seconds before Junmyeon makes up his mind to speak first, “I, uh, had something to give to you.”

Yifan tentatively steps forward and Junmyeon brings out an envelope from his messenger bag. He hands it to Yifan and says, “Namjoon and Seokjin wanted to invite you to their wedding. You are under no obligation to come.”

Yifan raises an eyebrow at the tone of Junmyeon’s voice. He sounded apologetic and unsure, and Yifan wonders why. He opens the envelope and reads through the invite. He rubs his thumb over the dried blue hydrangea and says, “I would like to come. I am doing nothing this Sunday.”

“Good. I will be leaving before, so I am giving you the responsibility to bring the kids,” Junmyeon says as he walks towards his bedroom door. He pauses and looks over his shoulder, “Yifan?”

Yifan holds back the hope, “Yes?”

“Whatever Joohyun said…”

“Yeah?”

“I ca—”

Yifan sighs, “I know you can’t.” He bows his head so Junmyeon doesn’t see his heartbreak in his eyes. “It’s alright Junmyeon. Just let me visit the kids every now and then, yeah?”

Junmyeon opens his mouth to protest that, to say he is ready to discuss it with him. He doesn’t want to be the only one in this. If he was alone, the last few months would have been terrible. Yifan made it all better, so without him, how can he raise the children? But before he can get another word out, Yifan walks off, his large steps covering the distance to his room in seconds.

Junmyeon hears the loud slam of the trapdoor shutting and he flinches. He cannot do this to Yifan; he cannot hurt the other man because he cares too much about him, because he has become important to him. He cannot do this because he knows Yifan loves the children as much as he does and he can never be happy knowing he took them away from him. He cannot do this because Yifan’s unhappiness will break him too, because he loves him, he does.

His head drops to his chest and he presses his forehead against the door, trying to take a few deep breaths, to stop the tears from falling. He is so lost in his head, he doesn’t notice the eyes watching him.

 

It is Sunday and Yifan is waiting in the living room for the kids to arrive. He has his message inbox open on his phone screen as he stares at the message Joohyun sent him last night.

_I am giving you a week to decide. If Moon Jongup files a case within next month, both of you will be in trouble. I have already informed Junmyeon-sshi._

Yifan bites his lip and puts his phone back in the pockets of his chinos. He sinks back into the sofa and sighs. He straightens up the next moment when he hears small feet running down the stairs. He walks out of the room and he cannot help but smile at the twins, who are dressed in matching white suits. Junhyung even put a bow on while Jihyun looks adorable in a mint green dress. Sunny comes behind them and drapes a denim jacket over Jihyun’s shoulder, lightly scolding her, “Jihyun, it is still cold outside.”

Jihyun pouts but accepts the jacket. Yifan grins and the twins skip towards him; he asks, “Ready?”

An hour later, they are at the venue, which is a huge open space. Yifan gets down from the car and the kids look on excitedly at the venue. The parking space leads to the reception area, where the guests will eventually move on to. It is inside a greenhouse of sorts with chandeliers hanging from the transparent ceiling. There are fresh flowers on each table and they pass it to get to the spot where the ceremony will take place.

It is nestled between a grove of trees. There is a gazebo in between and the chairs radiate from there. White roses and lilies are placed at every row. Yifan recognises Jimin, who is ushering guests to their seats. He spots Yifan and waves; the latter walks up to him and smiles, “Where are the grooms?”

“They are in the changing rooms,” Jimin says and he waves at Jihyun when he spots her. “You can go visit them, I will keep the kids company.”

Yifan relinquishes the kids to him and walks over to the changing rooms, which are just rows of room on a single storey block. He knocks on one door, and a young, tall man opens it. Said man instantly squeals when he sees him, “Oh my god Wu Yifan!”

The sound brings Seokjin out, who grins at Yifan, “You came!”

Yifan grins back, “Yup.”

Seokjin pushes the tall man aside and pulls Yifan inside. “I am so glad!” He notices his brother still gaping at Yifan and shakes his head, “Oh, this is my brother, Taehyung. He is in shock currently.”

Taehyung looks at his brother with narrowed eyes. Then he turns to bow at Yifan. “Hello sir, I am a huge fan.”

Yifan chuckles, “Always nice to meet a fan.” He extends his hand towards Taehyung, who is stunned and only when Seokjin pokes him under his ribs, does he move forward to shake his hands. Yifan then pulls out a small jewellery box from the inside of his jacket and hands it to Seokjin, “Your wedding gift. For Namjoon as well.”

Seokjin slightly blushes but accepts it. “Thank you hyung, you didn’t have to.”

“Not a problem, and you are more than welcome.”

There is a knock on the door and it opens to Junmyeon, and Yifan’s mouth drops at how gorgeous he looks. His hair is curly today and side parted, and it makes him look years younger. He is dressed in dark navy pants and a white shirt with a white jacket. Around his neck hangs a neckerchief. He looks absolutely amazing. His eyes widen when he sees Yifan, but he turns his head towards Seokjin and smiles, “Okay, we are ready.”

Taehyung claps his hands. “So are we!”

Seokjin laughs nervously, “We have been ready for seven years.”

Taehyung crushes Seokjin in a bear hug and the older flails his hands. Yifan smiles at them; he feels a hand on his arm and he looks down to find Junmyeon tugging his blazer, “The kids?”

“With Jimin,” Yifan answers.

“Let me accompany you to your seats?”

“Sure.”

Yifan steps outside first and Junmyeon follows. Junmyeon thinks Yifan looks great in his white shirt and white chinos combo with the striped blazer. He kept some of the buttons from the top unbuttoned, and he gives off such a chic casual vibe that even if he wasn’t an actor, he would still be turning heads.

The children are already seated and Jimin is keeping them company. When they spot their other uncle, they shout for him. Junmyeon coos at how nice all of them look and curses himself for not bringing his camera with him. Yifan takes his seat and Junmyeon hangs around for a second before he sees Taehyung gesturing at him to follow him. He looks at his watch and realises it is time. He leaves them to join the grooms.

Yifan watches Junmyeon leave and a few minutes later, he is back again, followed by Taehyung, who is followed by the grooms, who come walking down the aisle hand in hand. Seokjin is in a beige suit while Namjoon is in a grey one. They take their places and the ceremony begins.

They have written vows for each other. Seokjin goes first, “My stupid Namjoon. You have broken nearly a hundred plates and cups combined since we started dating. I had to replace all bowls with ugly Tupperware ones after we moved in. It ruined the aesthetic of my kitchen, but I love you more, so there’s that.” Everyone laughs. “When you proposed to me almost three years ago, I was crying because I realised I have to undertake the daunting task of child-proofing our entire home.” Namjoon breaks out into a short laugh. “But I am glad you did, because I wanted to as well, but could never gather the courage to do so. So, thank you, for being brave for both of us. I love you so, so much and I promise to keep loving you, even if you break our entire apartment apart.” Seokjin laughs at the end and there are tears in his eyes that Namjoon gently wipes away.

Namjoon goes next, “Kim Seokjin. I blanked out when I first met you because I didn’t think anyone could be any cuter than you. Maybe the ridiculous oversized hoodie you wore helped. I was amazed how one person who has shoulders broad enough to land a plane could be such a giant marshmallow.” Seokjin lightly punches Namjoon on his arm. “But I was in for more surprises when I actually found out that you liked me as much as I liked you. And the next few years that followed, we have fought, we have laughed and cried together, and most importantly we have fallen in love together. So, my love, my light, thank you for choosing to spend the rest of your life with me. I love you and I promise to keep loving you forever.”

There are tears running down both grooms’ faces and Junmyeon and Taehyung are sniffing as well. Yifan almost feels like crying himself and the scene of Seokjin and Namjoon gazing into each other’s eyes is so beautiful and tender that Yifan looks away, feeling like he is intruding their moment. The minister allows them to share their first kiss as husbands and when they do, every guest erupts into cheers. They pull back and the four of them up there get in a group hug. Yifan’s heart skips a beat when he sees Junmyeon smiling through his tears.

The wedding party soon moves to the reception and Yifan spots Kyungsoo setting up the cake. Yifan strolls over to greet him, and they talk for a while. Jungkook is here too, and for the first time in his life, he talks to the younger politely. The grooms return having shucked their jackets, but their wrinkled shirts lets on what else they had been doing. Junmyeon joins Yifan and the kids at a table.

Since the kids were getting tired, Junmyeon and Yifan take their leave as soon as dinner finishes. Seokjin and Namjoon understand, so they don’t try to hold them back. The kids fall asleep as soon as the car gets on the highway. Junmyeon is lost in his thoughts as he sits on the passenger seat. He peeks at Yifan from the corner of his eyes and sighs. Yifan hears him, so he asks, “Everything okay?”

“Namjoon and Seokjin dated for years before they got married you know,” Junmyeon replies.

“Yeah, I know.” Yifan feels confused, but he doesn’t hurry Junmyeon.

The other sighs again as he turns his head to look outside the window. “It’s just…that’s how I thought my marriage will be, to someone I have known for years, been in love as well. Just, not like this…” Yifan grips tightens on the steering wheel as he takes a deep breath. He understands what Junmyeon means. However, Junmyeon resumes, “But that is my own selfish reason. And I can’t be selfish here, so I think we should do what Joohyun, Himchan and Seunghyun-sshi are advising us to.”

It is a good thing the roads were relatively empty as Yifan brakes the car in the middle of the road. Junmyeon finally looks at him and Yifan asks, “Are you sure?” As he asks Junmyeon, his mind goes back to the shopping bag hidden at the top of his bookshelf.

“Can you live without them? Do you think Soohyun and Changsun would forgive us if we hurt them?”

Yifan’s eyes flick away from Junmyeon’s face to the three children sleeping behind. He clenches his jaw as he nods. He sees the logic behind it, except somewhere in his heart, he hopes that things were not like this. “Okay, I will call Joohyun-sshi tomorrow.”

Junmyeon nods and Yifan starts the car. Suddenly, Junmyeon scoffs, “I guess you would need to tell Minseok before anyone else, right?”

Yifan groans at that thought. Minseok will eat him alive.

 

“What the fuck,” is Kim Minseok’s first reaction after Yifan’s calls him as he gets ready to meet their lawyers again. “You, and Junmyeon, marriage?”

“Yup, you have paraphrased it well enough,” Yifan chuckles.

Minseok pauses for a second, before he starts shouting, “Wu fucking Yifan! Do you know the circus that will follow when this news gets out! Oh my god I will have to tell Taeyeon and organise a press con and oh fuck I can already imagine how viral this will go. Fuck!”

Yifan hears half of it because he has the phone held away from him, at arms’ length. Minseok is angry and he will just let him calm down first. He puts the phone back on his ear and says, “Hey, I will call you later, okay?”

“Wu fu—”

Yifan grimaces as he disconnects the call. Minseok will kill him later, he knows. He hears the bell ring and he goes down, but Junmyeon beats him to it. The lawyers have arrived and Junmyeon takes them to the black living room. Yifan hops into the kitchen, sweetly requesting for tea. Sunny narrows her eyes but goes about making tea for the guests. She knows the lawyers are here regarding the kids and she had ended up asking Junmyeon and Yifan what they are going to. She had been made aware of their situation a long time ago, so she was worried for the kids’ futures as well. She gave her word that she would try to help them any which way, and Junmyeon never felt more grateful.

Joohyun, Himchan and Seunghyun sit down. Yifan and Junmyeon take their seats as well. Joohyun begins, “Okay, so far I have convinced the judge on our case to not allow Moon Jongup file for a case against you two, not yet. So, we have some time to think about what we can do.”

“About that,” Yifan says, after glancing at Junmyeon. “We have decided to do what you told us.”

Himchan raises an eyebrow, “Get married?”

“Yes,” Yifan nods. “But there’s one problem. We need time, I will have to leave soon for my shooting and…”

“Yes,” Junmyeon adds, “Yifan had to leave somewhere during May, but his schedules got changed, so.”

Joohyun suppresses her smile. “We can get some time, you don’t worry about that. I am glad you agreed with us.”

Sunny enters with the tea and Jihyun, who returned from school a few minutes prior, recognises Joohyun’s car in the driveway. When Jihyun sees Sunny taking a tray to the living room, she follows. She spots Joohyun and shouts, “Joohyun aunty!”

Joohyun grins and Jihyun skips to her, throwing her hands around her neck. Joohyun hugs her back and Jihyun asks, “What are you doing here aunty?”

“Just talking things with your uncles,” Joohyun answers.

Himchan laughs, “I think she gotta know, right?”

Junmyeon chuckles, a little on edge as he asks Jihyun, “Hey Jihyunnie? You said you want to be with us forever, right?” When Jihyun nods, Junmyeon smiles, “Well, we are going to adopt you, all of you.”

Jihyun releases Joohyun and her eyes are wide as she stares at her uncles, shocked. She asks, her voice breaking, “You will be with us forever?”

“They are even getting married to do so dear,” Seunghyun quips.

Jihyun looks at the stranger for a second before a huge grin breaks out on her face. She jumps on Junmyeon and Yifan and they wind their hands around her. She sobs in their hold; this is the best day of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry not sorry for the Namjin moment ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ


	23. Chapter 23

Jihyun’s best day soon turns into Yifan and Junmyeon’s worst. And right now, as the sun goes down the horizon, Junmyeon gazes out of the window in his clinic and sighs. The orange light catches the gemstones on the ring finger of his left hand, and a rainbow dances along the window sill. It is a slim band of silver encrusted with white sapphires on the top row; it is simple and beautiful, and honestly in some another circumstance, this ring, given to him by the man he is in love with, would have made him ecstatic.

He runs his finger over the gems, which are a little bit cloudier than diamonds, though he is no expert. Apparently, it is his birthstone. Junmyeon isn’t interested in astrology, so he really doesn’t know, but they are pretty. Yifan too wears a matching ring, except the gems on his ring is yellow topaz, which is his birthstone. The taller had said it was Seohyun’s idea.

He sighs again as he events of this afternoon replay in his head.

_Junmyeon has the evening shift today, so he sits down for lunch with the kids and Yifan after a long time. Jihyun tells her brother about her uncles marrying each other and they scream in jubilation. Their joy is equivalent to the dread the adults are feeling deep inside. They have smiles plastered on their faces, but they are both worried for what happens next with them having secured the children’s futures._

_After lunch is over, Jihyun pouts at her uncles as they all head up to Yifan’s room to watch a movie. When Junmyeon notices her obvious distress, he runs his fingers through her hair, asking, “What is it Jihyunnie?”_

_The young girl narrows her eyes at Junmyeon and says, “If you two are going to get married, where are your rings?”_

_Junmyeon looks up at Yifan with widened eyes, who just smirks and saunters over to his bookshelf. He raises on his tiptoes and grabs a packet from the very top. He returns where the kids are sitting with Junmyeon and the latter gets surprised when he recognises the luxury jewellery brand name on the packet. His voice is faint when he mutters, “When…”_

_Yifan chuckles, though the mirth never reaches his eyes, “I went wedding gift shopping with Seohyun when we noticed some engagement rings on display. She chose them, for both of us.” He pulls out two velvet boxes of rings. He opens both and gives one to Junmyeon. “She said those are our birthstones or something.”_

_Junmyeon takes the box offered to him and stares at the simple ring lodged inside. He picks it out and he asks, “These aren’t diamonds, are they?”_

_Yifan shakes his head. “No, those are white sapphires.”_

_“Less blingy, I appreciate that,” Junmyeon’s smile is sarcastic, and Yifan doesn’t miss that._

_“Yeah, I knew you wouldn’t like diamonds.”_

_“What’s yours?” Yifan shows him his ring. Junmyeon at least recognises the gemstones encrusted on the bottom row, “Topaz?”_

_“Yup.”_

_The kids crowd them, trying to get a good look at the rings. Junmyeon passes his ring to Jihyun, who examines it like she is some expert; Junmyeon chuckles a little at her scrunched-up face. However, she surprises him when she hands the ring to Yifan and snatches the ring from Yifan’s hand to pass it to Junmyeon. When the adults look at her in askance, she explains, “What is this? Christmas? You cannot just exchange them! Yifan uncle has to ask you to marry him! Or Junmyeon uncle can, I don’t care!”_

_The twins understand what their older sister is getting at, and they support her wholeheartedly. “Yes, yes! Just like in the movies!”_

_Yifan turns to look at Junmyeon, who is staring at the topaz ring on his palm. He is looking for a way in his head to coax the children otherwise when Junmyeon raises his head with a sardonic smile on his face. It scares Yifan and it makes his heart pound, something premonitory in him sending him warnings. Junmyeon says, “Well, they are right. Go ahead Yifan, you do it. You have done this before, right? In one of your movies?”_

_Yifan swallows and his premonition was right. He should have thwarted the kids, but at Junmyeon’s words, they are now fully forcing him to do so. And in something inside him wants to rise to Junmyeon’s challenge. Acting, he has to act to want to marry Junmyeon. He identifies the irony, and it gives him no satisfaction. They were seated on the big couch, so Yifan slides to the floor, in front of Junmyeon, knees on the ground._

_Junmyeon’s heart slides to the floor along with Yifan. He_ is _doing it; Wu Yifan in action. He swallows the sob threatening to rip out of him as Yifan looks up, the ring miniscule in his giant hands. Yifan puts on a smile and asks, “Kim Junmyeon, will you marry me?”_

_Junmyeon would like to believe that this is real, that Yifan is sincere and maybe that illusion works because Yifan does play the part well. His eyes are filled with affection and sincerity, and it sends a shiver down Junmyeon’s spine. He inhales and as he breathes out, the word flows from his mouth like it weighs nothing, “Yes, I will.”_

_Yifan slides the ring over his ring finger. Jihyun instructs, “Now it’s Junmyeon uncle’s turn!”_ _Junmyeon picks up the other ring and does his part. The rings complement each other, Junmyeon reckons. “Now kiss like they do in the movies!” The children dissolve into giggles at the suggestion, but the adults find no hilarity in it._

_Junmyeon is about to lightly scold them, but then he feels a warm hand on his cheek, and he turns his head, and gasps at discovering that Yifan’s face is much closer to his. Another hand rises to cup the other half of his face, and Junmyeon is trapped, between large, warm hands and between two eyes so mesmerising, he can sink in them. His eyes close on their own as Yifan closes the inches between them._

_Junmyeon stops breathing as Yifan puts his lips against his. He gasps inaudibly, his mouth falling open and Yifan takes advantage of it, gently pulling his lower lip between his lips. Junmyeon’s body trembles with a yearning he thought he buried deep, deep inside. He wants to respond despite the sensible part inside his mind telling him not to. But before he can quell the conflict inside his head, Yifan releases him after a gentle tug and as he pulls back, Junmyeon can still feel his lips tingling and his face burning._

_His eyes fly open as Yifan whispers, millimetres away from his mouth, “And cut.”_

_Yifan leans back and grins at the kids, who are whooping. Junmyeon swallows and his mouth remains open. A scene, this was just a scene for actor Wu Yifan. He was just a co-star or an extra. He stands up and says, his voice shaking, “I need to go. I have to get ready for my shift at the hospital.”_

Junmyeon beat a quick escape after that. He didn’t need to be at his clinic till five, but he came to work by three. He proceeded to lock himself in and sit down on his chair with his head in his hands. He felt the weight of the ring on his hand and felt the weight of his heart breaking and he realised he has reached his point. He was at the end of this all, and he is absolutely crushed that this is how it had to end.

However, it has been a while since his duty hours began, and he tended some outstation patients, he can _still_ feel the touch of Yifan’s lips on his.  

Hours passed since then, and when he returns home late at night, the house is silent and he reckons Yifan went to bed before him. Good, he didn’t have the willpower to see Yifan again, at least not today. He quickly heads for his bedroom and locks himself in. He presses his head to the door and tries to not lose control of himself. Why did things have to end up this way?

Yifan hears Junmyeon entering the house, the trapdoor was open. He hears the loud slam of Junmyeon’s bedroom door. He is sprawled out on the couch as he rubs his lips. The kiss at Christmas took him by surprise, but he hasn’t forgotten how soft Junmyeon’s lips were. He never imagined he would get to kiss him back, and he never imagined it would such a parody. This afternoon had a hint of the animosity they shared—something Yifan had fooled himself into thinking didn’t exist anymore. Junmyeon provoked him and Yifan had to answer him back. Junmyeon asked him to act, so he gave it to him. Yet, he saw the devastation in Junmyeon’s eyes when he pulled back.

He turns to his side and watches the light bounce off the yellow topaz on his ring. This marriage is just going to be one big act after all. Yet, he finds himself wondering why it all had to end like this.

 

Junmyeon stands in the basement parking lot of Lion Heart Talent Agency with his heart sinking. While in the car, he had seen the crowd gathered in front of the building with some fans holding placards with OPPA IS OURS written on it. Great, just great. Minseok appears in front of him, and he smiles, “Ready?”

Junmyeon nods. They walk towards the elevators, and as they step inside, he asks, “Um, I wanted to ask something.”

“Go ahead Junmyeon.”

“What about Sehun?” The fact that Sehun had been absent all this while really surprised him. He expected another visit from him during these few days.

“What about that noodle?” Minseok frowns. When Junmyeon raises an eyebrow in question, he laughs, “Nothing. He is with some dancer kid from some idol group. I think they have been together since Christmas, or maybe even before. Anyway, he is done with Yifan, so you don’t need to worry about him.”

This piece of news surprises Junmyeon. He had asked the question wondering how Yifan can just release a statement about marrying him if he is still with Sehun, but Minseok misunderstood. However, the fact that Sehun and Yifan hadn’t been together ever since, confuses Junmyeon.

The elevators doors open to Yifan pacing in the hallway. He exclaims, “You are late!”

Junmyeon scowls, “I had patients.”

Minseok steps between them and smiles, “Now, now, no fighting. Remember what I said? You two must look like you are in love. No one needs to know the real reason behind your marriage.”

Yifan grumbles and crosses his arms, while Junmyeon glares at the carpet. Minseok briefed him over the phone about this—that they would have to pretend that somehow cohabiting with each other for nearly a year brought them closer than they expected and they ended up falling in love. Thus, making up their minds to just make it official. Junmyeon appreciates the contrariness of it all; he will be faking being in love with the person he is actually in love with. Terrific.

They enter the same old hall they did their first press conference in all those months ago. As soon as they take their seats, the questions fly at them. Minseok chooses the first journalist, who instantly quips, “Yifan-sshi, you said you weren’t dating each other then, but here you are announcing your marriage with Dr Kim.”

Yifan smirks, “Trust me, I didn’t plan on this.”

Laughter breaks out among the journalists. One of them directs the question at Junmyeon, “Dr Kim, did his movie star looks sway you?”

Junmyeon laughs. “Hardly. Please understand I have known him since he was fifteen. I have seen him at his worse, so there was nothing to be impressed with.”

The man laughs, and even Yifan finds himself smiling. The man resumes, “So what made you fall in love then?”

At first Junmyeon’s heart jumps in his chest, threatening to spill his secret, but then he remembered, this is just an act and even if he tells the truth, who will know the difference? So, he smiles and a strange calm descends on him as he finds himself say, “His stupid smile and his gentle demeanour. He is a nice man, and more than that, he is genuine. He is a good actor, no doubt and he can charm anyone’s pants off, but you don’t see him when he is home. It is very hard not to fall for him then.”

Yifan turns his head to look at Junmyeon. Did someone hand him a script? He wants to ask, he wants to believe Junmyeon meant what he said. Then a journalist asks, “And what about you Yifan-sshi?”

Yifan is still gazing at Junmyeon as he answers, “I saw him at his worst too. He is still short though, but he has changed in so many ways. He is a wonderful, beautiful person and I love him.” Junmyeon moves his head to frown at him. Yifan grabs his hand and puts it over on the table. There is a pained look in his eyes and Yifan cannot decipher it as the cameras go wild trying to get as many shots they can take of the two men gazing into each other’s eyes.

Junmyeon is in a kind of pain that he knows medical science cannot cure. Yifan grabs his hand and he doesn’t fight back. He hears the cameras flashing and he knows the media got their money shot. He licks his lips and looks away, breaking away from the intensity in Yifan’s eyes. He feels tears burning on the back of his eyes, and he wants to run. But Yifan’s hold on his hand keeps him prisoner.

 

It had started raining somewhere during the time they are stuck in that room with all those people. When it got over, it was dark outside, and Junmyeon breathed in relief and rushed outside. He wanted to go home on his own, but Yifan laid ruin to his plan as he caught him by the elevators. His voice was firm as he said, “We are going home together.”

Junmyeon could hear the finality in Yifan’s tone and it made him afraid, so he obeys. He says nothing in response as the door ding open. The entire walk to Yifan’s car is deathly silent, like the storm before the calm. The drive back is filled with so much tension, Junmyeon feels suffocated. He is so afraid, he knows something is going to happen, that their scam of peace and domesticity is soon going to be endangered. He feels the resentment building inside him, and he is afraid he might burst and both of them are going to regret whatever waits for them.

As soon as they reach home, Junmyeon finds himself dragged to the living room. Yifan closes the door behind him and turns around, his eyes flashing with anger now and guilt next. He asks, hesitating, “Are you okay?”

Junmyeon scoffs as he wraps his hands around himself. “Am I? I don’t know Yifan.”

Yifan comes closer and Junmyeon takes a step back. “Junmyeon…”

The tears spill over as Junmyeon shouts, “My life has become one large farce! How can I be fine?”

Yifan tries to placate him, “Junmyeon, we are doing this for the kids…”

Junmyeon rubs his face to stop his tears. “I know that Yifan! We are forcing ourselves to pretend to make them happy! But this pretension, it is too much for me!”

“Well, I am sorry!” Yifan shouts back. He can hear Junmyeon’s regret and it angers him. “I know you wish it wasn’t me, I know that very well!”

“Of course, I don’t want it to be you!” As soon as the words slip past his lips, Junmyeon regrets it. It is so far from the truth, so ridiculously far that they sit on his tongue like a bitter pill he cannot swallow. It dissolves on his tongue and it lays so thick that he almost gags. He swallows down the knot in his throat and he knows he went too far.

Yifan’s eyes widen minutely and his mouth drops as he gasps. But the next moment, it is gone—the look of absolute heartbreak is gone. His gaze hardens and he grits his teeth as he says, “I know Junmyeon, I know.” He suddenly laughs bitterly and rubs his face, “God, did I fool myself into thinking we changed? That I changed, that you changed? What was I thinking?”

Junmyeon’s heart clenches and how he wishes he could take back what he said. He moves closer to Yifan, but the other turns back and is about to walk away when Junmyeon says, “I…just wanted to marry someone I love, and who loves me, not someone who has to because they have no choice.”

Yifan halts, his hand hovering over the doorknob as his breath hitches. Obviously, why would Junmyeon want to marry him if the children were not part of the equation? He takes a deep breath, and makes up his mind. He looks over his shoulders and he tries to be firm as he says, “I know that as well.” He looks away and his voice is small and strained as he continues, “But even if this wasn’t a last resort, I would still choose you Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon frowns and tries to understand what Yifan meant. The taller man looks back at him and the look in his eyes stuns Junmyeon, “Every word that I said at the press conference was true. But the problem is you still hate me whereas I don’t. I haven’t hated you for a long time, you know. Can I never be someone you can love Junmyeon?” Then, Junmyeon sees it, he sees the honesty and vulnerability and heartbreak in Yifan’s eyes. Yifan’s words make his head spin and he can hardly hear anything over the pounding of his heart.

Yifan gulps as Junmyeon’s silence speaks volumes to him. He shows his back to Junmyeon and pushing the door away, walks away. He doesn’t stop as he reaches the entrance. The door is already open and he cannot be bothered to mull over it as he steps into the spring rain himself. He laid his heart down for Junmyeon and what was he expecting in return? Was he hoping Junmyeon to run into his arms and profess his feelings too? Were the last few months just his imagination? Were the touches, and glances, and the smiles all figments of his imagination?

Back in the living room, Junmyeon’s knees give away. He falls to the floor with his head pounding. If Yifan had meant every word he had said at the press conference, then that means… _Can I never be someone you can love Junmyeon?_

And suddenly, everything makes sense. Junmyeon realises that Yifan is in love with him, and all this while he believed it couldn’t be possible. Yifan _loves_ him, and even though there are tears spilling down Junmyeon’s face, he smiles. He makes up his mind, resolved to go after Yifan. He realises it is raining, but he doesn’t care as he rushes out of the living room. However, at the entrance, he knocks into someone and when he finds his balance, he realises it is Sunny, who grabs his arms frantically, and with widened eyes, cries, “I can’t find Jihyun anywhere Junmyeon!”


	24. Chapter 24

Yifan walks down the driveway, the rain soaking through his clothes in seconds. He can feel hot tears running down his cheeks, mixing with the cold rain. He marches past the guards stationed at the huge gates of his house. The fucking house that he hates now, or will start hating pretty soon. A marriage that means nothing, but for the sake of others’ happiness. He can already feel himself suffocating. He steps beyond the gates and his hair sticks to his forehead as he slows down, walking beside the boundary walls, hating himself. He knew he would get hurt if he let Junmyeon know his feelings, and he went ahead and did it anyway.

He halts when he hears a familiar ringing, and realises, belatedly that it is his phone. He pulls it out, thankful that the device is waterproof, and his heart sinks when he sees it is Junmyeon. He picks it up anyway, and when he puts it to his ears, Junmyeon’s cry surprises him.

“Please come home quickly!”

 

Junmyeon paces in the hallway, waiting for Yifan, his heart racing and his phone clutched tightly to his chest. Thankfully, Yifan still had his phone in his pocket when he rushed out of the house, so Junmyeon called him first. Yifan returns in ten minutes, and he is drenched from his head to feet, but Junmyeon doesn’t heed that as he runs up to him and grabs his wet sleeves. His lips wobble as he says, “Jihyun is missing Yifan.”

Yifan was surprised to see Junmyeon calling him, and his surprise further expanded when Junmyeon just cried on the phone, requesting him to return home as fast as he can. Right now, he blinks at Junmyeon, trying to understand what the latter just said. He parrots Junmyeon’s words, “Jihyun is missing?”

Sunny steps forward and hands him a sheet of paper. She says, her voice sombre, “I found it under her bed.”

Yifan reads the letter. “Dear uncles, please don’t be sad. I am sorry you are sad because of me. I saw uncle Junmyeon crying one day after you two talked. You didn’t see me, but I saw you two. I can tell you are fighting because of us again. Please don’t, I am so sorry.” His eyes widen by the time he reaches the end. He feels the fear wrapping around him, slowly choking him. It is dark and raining outside, and he lives beside a heavily wooded area.

Junmyeon says, “I called the police, but it hasn’t been twenty-four hours…”

Yifan shakes his head and decides to use his celebrity status to good use. He calls Minseok, “Hey, isn’t Taeyeon’s cousin a cop? We need some help…Jihyun’s missing, Minseok.”

 

Jihyun was in the kitchen when she heard her uncles returning home. She decides to go greet them when she sees Yifan dragging Junmyeon inside. She cautiously gets close and even though she knows eavesdropping is a bad habit, she can’t hear anything properly but then she flinches when she hears Junmyeon shout, “I know that Yifan! We are forcing ourselves to pretend to make them happy! But this pretension, it is too much for me!”

She stumbles back and tears well in her eyes. She knows her uncles weren’t happy for some reason. Then she remembers the night she woke up to find Yifan and Junmyeon talking in the corridor. They didn’t notice her, and she watched as Junmyeon handed Yifan a card. She also remembers what Yifan had said, “I know you can’t. It’s alright Junmyeon. Just let me visit the kids every now and then, yeah?” Jihyun had also seen the look on Yifan’s face as he walked away. He had never seen Yifan look that sad before, and when she looked at Junmyeon, he was equally sad. Were they sad because of her? That night, she wrote a page in her notebook, putting down her thoughts, hoping that one day she will be able to give this to them as a letter of apology.

But then the two men that day told her she would be adopted by them soon, so why are they fighting now? She even tore out that page from her notebook, thinking she would never have to use it. Is this her fault? She believes it is so, and turning around, she opens the main door and runs out in the rain. She heads for the trees edging the property, and as her feet splash in the mud, the house becomes smaller and smaller. She runs and runs, and her lungs protest and her legs are hurting, but she cannot stop. Suddenly, her foot slips and she goes tumbling down.

She finally stops falling and when she lands on the soft earth, the rain beats down on her face and her leg hurts. She cries as she is curls on the ground, and she is cold and wet, adorned only in her pyjamas. As she closes her eyes, she sees her parents smile at her, and then she sees her uncles smile at her as well. She wants to see them again, but her body refuses to cooperate and just sinks further into the mud.

 

A couple of hours later, armed with flashlights and raincoats, Yifan, Minseok, Junmyeon, Taeyeon’s cousin, Hyoyeon and three more police officers, are combing through the woods, shouting for Jihyun. Junmyeon is crying and his hand is clasped tightly by Yifan, and he is trying to hold himself steady and stop himself from imagining the worst.

The house is faint in the distance as they walk deeper into the woods. Suddenly, they hear a whistle. Yifan locates the noise and he glances at Junmyeon, who increases his grip on Yifan’s hand. They take off towards the west, where the whistle originated. The rain has thinned a lot and as they burst through a clearing, which slopes into a small ditch, they find a cop standing down in it with his flash light aimed at a small body on the ground.

Junmyeon gasps and tears his hand away from Yifan’s. His heart soars as he drops to his knees and checks her pulse, which is still steady. He gently lifts Jihyun off the ground and holds her to his chest, sobbing. Yifan kneels beside him and throws his arms around Junmyeon, letting some of his tears flow down as well.

The cop allows them a moment before saying, “I think she slipped and hurt her leg.”

Junmyeon rubs his face and notes that the man is right. He looks at the nasty gash on Jihyun’s leg and his heart twists. Her lips are blue, which means she needs medical help before the hypothermia sets in. He gets to his feet, Jihyun still in his arms and he says, “I need an ambulance.”

The man nods and beckons them to follow him. The man had already asked for an ambulance, and it should be idling in the house’s driveway by now. While walking towards the house, they come across Hyoyeon and Minseok, who sigh in relief when they notice Jihyun bundled in Junmyeon’s arm. They walk back together to house and as expected, the ambulance is there.

Yifan doesn’t ask for permission as he gets on the ambulance with Junmyeon. The paramedic objects, but Junmyeon informs her, “I am a doctor, and this is my fiancé, he can come.”

Yifan feels his heart skipping a beat at that, but as Junmyeon gets to work on Jihyun, he knows, strangely, that everything will be okay now.

 

Jihyun gets admitted to Asan with pneumonia and her injury needs stitches. Junmyeon isn’t allowed to take her case, but it goes to a colleague he trusts, so he doesn’t fight with the Director too much. A day has passed, and both Junmyeon and Yifan haven’t returned home. Minseok didn’t even try bother telling them to rest as they sat vigilante over Jihyun in the suite. However, he returned the next day with a change of clothes for them both. Junmyeon shows Yifan the showers the employees use, and within half an hour they are back to sitting beside Jihyun’s bedside.

When they return, they find the doctor on her case, Choi Minho, inside the room. Junmyeon says, “Minho?”

Minho turns around with a huge smile on his face. He moves aside and Yifan and Junmyeon both exclaim simultaneously when they see Jihyun sitting upright. Minho steps outside the room as Junmyeon and Yifan rush over to the bed. Yifan immediately hugs her and says, “You scared us so much.”

Junmyeon holds her hand and kisses her palm with tears in his eyes. “Jihyunnie, do you know how worried we were?”

Jihyun looks guilty as she bows her head. “I am sorry, I thought you would hate me.”

“Hate you?” Yifan asks, incredulity laced in his voice. “We can never hate you my love.”

Jihyun’s lips wobble as she says, “But I heard you fighting!”

Yifan glances at Junmyeon, gulping down the guilt clogging his throat. “We will never fight again Jihyun, we are sorry.”

“But you are sad, and what if you leave me too?”

Junmyeon’s heart bleeds as he hears the question. He shakes his head and grabs Yifan’s hands. He swallows as he thinks this is the right time to say what has been on his mind. He says, “We are not leaving you Jihyun. I love you, we love you” Then he looks directly into Yifan’s eyes and says, “And I also love your uncle. He isn’t the only one who meant what he said at the press conference.” Yifan’s eyes widen and his mouth drops, clearly taken aback.

Jihyun frowns at the last bit in confusion, but she gets the rest of the message. She grabs Junmyeon and Yifan’s hands and sobs, “Never leave me please.”

Junmyeon cups her face and drops a kiss on her forehead, “Never.”

There is a knock on the door and Minho re-enters with Sooyeon, who says, “We need to do a check-up. Go eat something Junmyeon, I am here. You too Mr Wu.”

Yifan, who had been holding his surprise pretty well, grabs Junmyeon’s wrist and drags him out of the room. He halts when they are outside, standing in the corridor. He asks, “Did you mean what you said?” Yifan’s voice is scared yet his eyes are hopeful and Junmyeon cannot help but smile. He slowly nods his head. “You better, because there is nothing more than I want than this family of mine. My family of Jihyun, the two demons and you. But honestly, I want to do this with you, because I can’t do this without you, because I need you and because I am in love with you Kim Junmyeon.” Yifan scowls down at Junmyeon, who is grinning. He is looking for Junmyeon to refute this, announce this is a fraud, but Junmyeon just smiles. A beat of silence passes, before their lips crash against each other.

Looking back at this moment, Junmyeon would be unsure who kissed who first, but then again, he didn’t care. Yifan just said he loved him, and that is more than enough for Junmyeon. And as for him, he felt relieved that he didn’t have to hold back anymore. So, he grabs Yifan’s collar and Yifan grabs his waist to pull him closer. Junmyeon tilts his head to the side as Yifan deepens the kiss. Months or, perhaps, a lifetime’s worth of tension spilled into the kiss and they are both so desperate and needy that they forget they are standing on a hospital corridor where anyone can walk in on them.

(And Minseok does, but he quickly turns around with a huge grin on his face and sends a message to his girlfriend since he needs to collect that bet money from her.)

The kiss is desperate and needy, and Junmyeon breaks off for a moment to breathe, but Yifan doesn’t allow him and his tongue rubs against his, and Junmyeon groans, pressing himself closer to the taller man. They are so close now, that Junmyeon can feel the thud of Yifan’s heart against his chest and he knows Yifan can feel his too.

Junmyeon pours his anger, frustration, and maybe love too, in this kiss. He sucks on Yifan’s lower lip with a harsh nip and a gentle lick later. He enjoys the way Yifan gasps into his mouth and digs his fingers into his lower back. Yifan pulls back for air and gasps, “I love you, I really do. I didn’t think you would…”

Junmyeon frowns as his heart pounds; he feels the heat spreading across his cheeks as he admits, “Why wouldn’t I Yifan? I don’t think I even hated you in the first place.”

Yifan chuckles and presses his forehead against Junmyeon’s, “We are idiots.”

“I know,” Junmyeon grins. “Wherever they are, I am sure Changsun and Soohyun are rolling their eyes at us!”

Yifan smiles before slotting his lips against Junmyeon’s again. The kiss this time is slow, tender and it makes Yifan melt. Junmyeon’s lips are wonderful and he knows he will never get used to kissing them. His heart soars, and when Junmyeon pulls back for air with a giggle, he feels the love surging in his veins and he is happy.

Junmyeon just gazes up at the face of the man who has tormented him so much over the years. From juvenile antics to breaking his heart (and putting it back together again), Yifan has been there, and right now, Junmyeon doesn’t think he could be any happier. Whatever happens next, Junmyeon isn’t afraid to face it with Yifan by his side.

 

Hours later, when Junmyeon and Yifan finally return home to rest, Sunny bombard them with questions, and after taking one look at their exhausted faces, scolds them about their wellbeing for a minute. Yifan just abruptly embraces her, which stumps her but he just wanted to let her know how grateful he is for her presence and help.

However, Yifan and Junmyeon had a lot to talk about, so they decide to sit down in the living room. They sit beside each other and Yifan grabs his hands. Junmyeon, who was counting the threads on the rug underneath his feet because he was at a loss to start the conversation, turns his head and hears Yifan sighing, “I am sorry.”

Junmyeon frowns, “What are you sorry for?”

Yifan scoots closer and pulls his legs on the couch, throwing his head back, “That day, on my birthday, I was actually planning to confess to you.”

Junmyeon’s frown deepens. He remembers that day all too well, and he did have a nagging doubt about it, so Yifan better explain. “But you were kissing Sehun.”

“About that,” Yifan chuckles and it sounds strained to his ears. “Sehun kissed me, I didn’t kiss back Junmyeon. He came to say goodbye.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon exhales and relief floods him. He feels a little stupid when he says, “I know that now, but I am sorry too. I didn’t allow you to explain.”

“Could have saved us both a lot of pain, yeah?” Yifan even has the audacity to laugh; Junmyeon cuffs his shoulder.

“It’s just, I guess my logical side jumped out of the window,” Junmyeon turns his gaze away from Yifan’s bright smile as he decides to lay his heart for him to see, “My mind reminded me how I caught Chanyeol kissing someone else, just like you and Sehun…”

“Oh my god Junmyeon,” Yifan widens his eyes and sits up straight. He pulls Junmyeon into a hug and brushes his lips against the latter’s temple, “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you that bad.”

Yeah, he was hurt and badly too, but being in Yifan’s arms like this, warm and safe, makes his whole body tingle in a nice way and he sighs as he understands something, “But I hurt you too.”

“We are both massive idiots,” Yifan laughs and Junmyeon presses his face into his chest, the vibrations of his laughter making him smile. “Let’s just be idiots together forever?”

Junmyeon laughs. “That sounds terrible, but yeah, okay, I don’t mind.”

“And Junmyeon?” Yifan pulls back and cups Junmyeon’s nape. Junmyeon’s breath hitches at the tenderness and affection in Yifan’s eyes. “I promise to never fuck up that bad.”

Junmyeon finds himself leaning forward, wanting to press his lips against Yifan’s. Inches away, his lips barely caressing Yifan’s, he whispers, “I know, you are not him.”

“Okay,” Yifan tries to breathe, because Junmyeon up close is a sight to behold with his hooded eyes and flushed cheeks. “I love you.”

“I know, I love you too.” Junmyeon smiles a little before slotting his lips against Yifan’s.

 

Three days later, Jihyun returns home and her brothers instantly surround her on the bed and Sunny shoos them away to let the girl rest. Junmyeon returns home with her as well, and Yifan is all smiles when he sees him. Junmyeon hides his blush because this whole relationship thing is new to them, and strangely none of them had taken their engagement rings off. The day they kissed and confessed their feelings to each other, they had returned home and they spent all night with their limbs tangled on the sofa in the living room. Junmyeon had been woken up by Yifan with a kiss on his forehead, which had made him smile throughout the rest of the day.

Honestly, Junmyeon was worried that things might get awkward between at them at some point. But the familiarity they share with each other triumphed over everything else. In the three days, Junmyeon felt like nothing much changed, except for the random kisses Yifan keeps showering him with. Apparently, Yifan _really_ likes his lips and his “mochi cheeks” (Junmyeon punched him in response).

The next day Jihyun wakes up with a tantrum. The day is clear and blue and Jihyun insists she has go outside to play today. Junmyeon shakes his head, but when she pouts at him, he finds his resolve melting. The twins invite themselves, and so does Yifan. After an hour, the six of them (Sunny joins them as well) head for the park and the children immediately run towards the playground. Sunny follows them while Junmyeon and Yifan decides to sit down and just watch the kids.

Yifan throws an arm around Junmyeon, who snuggles close and puts his head on Yifan’s shoulder. He mumbles, “Is this okay?”

Junmyeon feels soft lips pressing on his temple and they move over his skin in a whisper, “Very.” Yifan already knows Junmyeon likes to be held and he doesn’t mind one bit in indulging his fiancé.

Junmyeon smiles and watches Junseo and Junhyung having an argument over who gets to sit on which swing. His gaze next falls on the ring on his finger and he starts twisting it. “We are still getting married, right?”

Yifan frowns. “I know it’s too soon in every way, but we have no other option.”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh?” Yifan lips curve into a smirk as he uses his free hand to wind it through Junmyeon’s. The topaz and the white sapphires rest against each other and both men gaze at it for a while. The rings no longer look like a coercion, it heralds new beginnings for all of them, and it provides an odd sense of peace to them both.

Junmyeon laughs after a few seconds. “Yeah, after all who doesn’t like marrying rich?”

Yifan scoffs, “As if paediatrician’s get paid in peanuts, that too at a place like Asan.”

Junmyeon lifts his head and smirks, “Cannot really spill trade secrets now, can I?”

“Jerk,” Yifan narrows his eyes with a smile.

Junmyeon purses his lips, “You are one too.”

“Is that why we are together?”

Junmyeon laughs and squeezes Yifan’s hand. “Could be.”

Right now, this moment, as Yifan leans forward to kiss Junmyeon, and a gentle breeze picks up, carrying the scent of spring, is flawless. A lot happened and many things had to drastically transform, they themselves had to change, but they are here now. Yifan pulls back and Junmyeon has a smile on his face with his eyes closed. In the background, he can hear the children playing and the wind caresses his skin. He opens his eyes and finds Yifan with the same serene smile on his face. Things could have ended worse, couldn’t they?

 

Yifan is sprawled on his bed, frowning at the ceiling. He hears the trapdoor opening and he knows it is Junmyeon. He also gets a whiff of coffee and that makes him lift himself on his elbows in curiosity. Junmyeon has a mug of coffee in his hand, which he places on the bedside table. Yifan glares at it, “What is this? Minseok’s peace offering?”

Junmyeon chuckles, “Could be. He asked me to bring this to you and tell you to, and I quote, get your ass moving because the flight won’t wait for his royal highness.”

Yifan pouts and sits up, cross-legged. “Shorty thinks he is so funny.”

Junmyeon grins and his eyes curve so adorably that Yifan finds some of his anger at leaving him and the kids melting. His schedule had been preponed and his break got reduced by a month. He is leaving in a few hours and he does see Minseok’s point but he is mad at how just when Junmyeon and he got closer, he has to go away for at least a couple of months. He suddenly gets an idea and throwing his hands in front of him, pulls Junmyeon over himself.

Junmyeon flails his hands, trying to not put all his weight on Yifan as the latter pulls him abruptly. He moves his legs and ends up straddling Yifan, who smirks up at him. Junmyeon feels his face growing hot and he looks away. He puts his hands on Yifan’s shoulder and tries to push himself up, but Yifan just tightens his hold around his waist. The taller even gets the audacity to pout, “What? Shouldn’t I get my goodbye kiss?”

“Oh my god,” Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Why did I have to like you of all idiots?”

“I guess I am just that special,” Yifan shrugs his shoulders. Then his face inches closer and Junmyeon doesn’t move away, waiting with bated breath to see what the former would do. This is all new to them, and each moment is an exciting puzzle to be solved. Junmyeon closes his eyes and in the next moment, Yifan’s lips press softly on his, testing the waters, to see if Junmyeon would respond or push away.

Junmyeon responds by puckering his lips and moving his head to kiss the corner of Yifan’s lips. Yifan’s mouth opens slightly and Junmyeon sucks on his upper lip. Yifan moves his hands from his waist and over his back, putting one hand on the small of his back to push him closer. Junmyeon relents, and Yifan nips lightly at Junmyeon’s lower lip. Junmyeon gasps and Yifan slips his tongue in, tangling with Junmyeon’s.

Junmyeon quivers as their tongues brush against each other and Yifan pushes in deeper, trying to taste every corner of his mouth. Junmyeon’s skin prickles with an odd heat and his head swims in pleasure. They both break the kiss at the same time, their lungs fighting for air. Junmyeon pushes in precious air through his mouth, his head still dizzy from the kiss. A groan falls from his swollen lips when Yifan moves his lips down his jaw and his neck, finds the pulse and sinks his teeth into it.

Junmyeon grabs the roots of Yifan’s hair as the latter sucks a bruise into his skin. Yifan’s mouth moves lower as his hands slip under Junmyeon’s shirt and the rough, warm touch on his skin, has his vision blur in desire as he moans.

The sound of Junmyeon moaning interrupts Yifan, who removes his mouth from Junmyeon’s neck. He feels smug at the red spot on the smooth, pale skin. His chest heaves, and his eyes are wide with his mouth open, and lips so swollen and slick. Yifan swallows as he lightly kneads the flesh on Junmyeon’s back. He whispers, “Is this okay?”

Junmyeon cannot trust himself with speaking, so he just nods his head. To let Yifan understand better, he leans forward, eager to reattach himself to Yifan’s lips again. However, someone loudly shouts, “Wu fucking Yifan, get down here right now!”

Yifan bites his lip and curses. Junmyeon chuckles, as his senses return and the haze of desire starts to dissipate. He does feel disappointed but he rather not incur Minseok’s wrath; he detangles himself from Yifan and gets to his feet. Yifan seems reluctant to leave him, but he also doesn’t want Minseok to come upstairs. Junmyeon cups his face and brushes his lips against his nose, and whispers, “You can wait for two months.”

Yifan grumbles, “That will be hard.” Then he grins, “All pun intended.”

Junmyeon shakes his head even though he can feel his face getting hot and sighs in exasperation. He steps back and putting his hands on his hips, says, “You are insufferable Wu Yifan.”

Yifan just grins in response, very proud of himself, while Junmyeon just stares at him, his heart filled with affection. This very smug grin used to annoy him once upon a time, but now it fills his entire body, from his head to his toes, with a warm, fuzzy feeling and he decides he quite likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one more chapter to go, and an extra chapter will be up soon after that, which will just be like a few years later thingie. I am truly amazed by the amount of love this got, and yeah, sorry for the emotional rollercoaster ride hehe ^^


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally here after 24 chapters!

It has been some days since Yifan had left for China, and Junmyeon smiles every time he gets a text from Yifan. But today, Yifan sent a selfie of himself in his makeup and costume for the movie, and who knew dressed in 1960s fashion would make Yifan _hotter_ than he already is? Junmyeon is sitting in his office with his lip trapped under his teeth. A few kisses and one really hot makeout session are what they managed to share before Yifan left, so Junmyeon makes a decision. Also, like Yifan doesn’t want to either. He might have told Junmyeon in thirty different ways that he has a cute butt. Well, he can come back home and grab them whenever he wants.

As the visual of Yifan’s large hands splayed on his skin solidified in his mind, Junmyeon slammed his head on the desk. He is a doctor on duty—not a horny teenager. He shakes his head and walks outside to make another, unnecessary round. Anything is better than thinking about Yifan right now.

A few more days pass, and Junmyeon has an off day, so he is helping Sunny with the kids. Since it is a Sunday, the children ask to go outside and play at the park close by. It is a wonderful day, but Junmyeon declines going, since he wanted to catch up on some sleep. The kids show their displeasure, but the temptation of playing is stronger than anything else, so with Sunny in tow, they go outside.

It has been ten minutes since they left when Junmyeon hears the doorbell ring and he frowns. Did Sunny or one of the kids forget to take something? He calls out, “Coming!” as he runs down the stairs. He opens the door and gets surprised. His eyes widen as he says, “Weren’t you supposed to come home tomorrow?”

Yifan grins as he takes his sunglasses off and puts his bag down. He wraps his arms around Junmyeon and pulls him close. He brushes his nose against Junmyeon and whispers, “I missed you.”

Junmyeon cups Yifan’s neck as butterflies swarm his stomach and his heart races at Yifan’s words. He smiles, “I missed you too.” He tilts his head to the side as Yifan leans forward. Their lips meet in a tender brush and Junmyeon feels like melting.

Yifan presses a couple more soft kisses on Junmyeon’s lips before leaning back and grinning. “As much I love kissing you, I rather do it inside.”

Junmyeon chuckles and Yifan’s heart tightens as he realises how much he missed the sound of it and the adorable way Junmyeon’s eyes become crescents when he smiles. Junmyeon grabs his bag and his wrist. Yifan smiles and lets Junmyeon drag him inside. However, before they can even step on the stairs, Yifan grabs Junmyeon again and kisses him, and this time it is less tender.

The kiss is sudden and harsh but Junmyeon doesn’t mind. He lets go of Yifan’s bag and throws both his hands around Yifan’s neck, who wraps his hands around his waist to pull him closer. Junmyeon groans when Yifan bites down on his lip and sucks on it, before slipping his tongue in. Junmyeon winds his hands in Yifan’s hair and when their tongues brush, Yifan groans.

Longing, two and a half months of it, comes pouring out as their hands try to hold and grasp as much as they could; as lips try to etch every move and bite and lick into memory; and as each incoherent sound of need spurs them on for more, _more_. Yifan pulls back when he finds his lungs fighting for air. He had been sucking on Junmyeon’s lips when he breaks the kiss, and the sight of a gasping, panting Junmyeon with swollen, saliva-slick lips sends heat shooting straight to his groin. His own lips throb as he gently rubs Junmyeon’s lip with his thumb. The shorter groans, if in pain or pleasure, Yifan doesn’t know. He asks in a rough voice, “Where are the kids?”

Junmyeon looks into Yifan’s eyes and his dilated pupils, and he swallows when he understands what Yifan is trying to mean. He whispers, “They are not going to be here for the next two hours.”

“As much I miss them too,” Yifan doesn’t finish his sentence as he returns to kissing Junmyeon. They inch towards the stairs and Junmyeon takes the lead, grabbing Yifan’s hand and walking upstairs. His knees wobble and his heart is probably racing a mile a second. They do not even question it as they stop in front of Junmyeon’s room. The shorter pushes the door open and Yifan closes it behind them, putting the lock in place (sure the kids aren’t here, but he rather not take any chances).

As soon as Junmyeon hears the lock clicking into place, he feels Yifan’s lips on his nape leaving a burning trail of kisses down the curve of it. Meanwhile, his hands slip under Junmyeon’s flimsy t-shirt and he shivers when Yifan’s cool touch meets his hot skin. He sighs, and it frays into a sound between a moan and a hiss when Yifan simultaneously bites down on the juncture of his neck and shoulder _and_ brushes his blunt nails against his nipples. Junmyeon gasps, “Yifan!”

But Yifan doesn’t hear him, or is ignoring him as he keeps biting and sucking marks on every inch of exposed skin. His hands travel down and Junmyeon feels his knees give away when they press down in front of his sweatpants. His hand moves up and rests on his stomach as he whispers, a bit unsure, “Is this okay?”

Junmyeon turns around and pouts up at Yifan. “What part of it doesn’t seem okay to you? I have been waiting for two months for this!”

Yifan feels his heart thud at the pout. He grins and tucks his face under Junmyeon’s jaw. He kisses along his jawline as his hands slip under Junmyeon’s t-shirt again, now slowly pushing it up. Junmyeon gets what the other is trying to do and obliges, raising his hands as Yifan tugs the t-shirt off. Right now, he knows Yifan is in control, and he can have it, the control, him, _everything_. So, he relents like water as Yifan pushes him towards his bed. Junmyeon lies down and Yifan kneels on the bed, slowly making his way over. Their gazes lock, and the lust and longing in Yifan’s eyes blows Junmyeon away. Yifan wants him _so much_ and Junmyeon can feel it spreading like a drug in his veins, making him both anxious and excited. He swallows and wraps his hands around Yifan’s neck, pulling him down.

Their lips meet again in a sweet, intense rush and Junmyeon rips Yifan’s shirt open. He hears the buttons hitting the hardwood floor, and somewhere in his mind he wonders if the shirt was expensive or not. He runs his hands over smooth skin and taut muscles. Yifan gasps into his mouth when Junmyeon flicks his nipple. His hands don’t stop, wanting to feel more of the man over him, so they go lower and lower till they find the apex of his legs. He unzips Yifan’s jeans and slips his hand inside. Yifan groans and throws his head back when Junmyeon’s hand curl around his cock. He was on his way to get fully hard, and Junmyeon hastens the process by slowly stroking his cock.

Yifan stops kissing him and he ducks his head, his hot breath fans across Junmyeon’s neck. “You are evil. Just constantly teasing me…” he chuckles before he starts kissing all over Junmyeon’s chest, biting red and purple marks into his pale skin. Junmyeon moans when Yifan’s mouth wraps around his nipple. The sharp bite and the subsequent hot lash of the tongue makes Junmyeon both impatient and eager. He stops digging his nail into Yifan’s neck and without warning, flips them over.

“Whoa, okay John Cena,” Yifan laughs. “Someone is excited.”

“Shut up you idiot,” Junmyeon shakes his head and grins. He is trying to get Yifan’s pants down his legs. “Like you didn’t passive aggressively text me how much you wanted to fuck me as soon as you got home.”

“I didn’t expect you to get my intentions,” Yifan grins.

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, “I am smarter than you, why do you keep forgetting that?”

“Sorry sir, won’t happen again,” Yifan deadpans.

Junmyeon giggles and manages to wrench Yifan’s stupid skinny jeans off finally. He leans down and softly kisses Yifan. “You are really such an idiot.”

“Am I your idiot though?” Yifan asks, eyes all wide and innocent (like Junmyeon would fall for it).

Junmyeon rolls his eyes again and moves to the side to open the drawer on the bedside table. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Yifan laughs and Junmyeon moves from his field of vision for a second, but when he returns, his smile becomes soft as he says, “Hey.”

“Yes?” Junmyeon tilts his head and his heart rabbits when he sees the look in Yifan’s eyes. It’s not the first time he is seeing it, and each time it makes his heart all crazy.

“I love you.”

Junmyeon slowly smiles as warmth fills his chest and his heart feels like it would burst out of his chest anytime now. He cups Yifan’s face and leans closer to whisper, “And I love you too.”

Yifan’s eyes sparkle and Junmyeon can’t help but fall some more for him right here, right now as he sits hard and half-naked on top of Yifan. How did he never notice how beautiful and expressive Yifan’s eyes are? How he can never quite hide his feelings in them around the people he cares for? He gently kisses on Yifan’s eyelids and says again, “I love you, I do.”

“Yeah, I know.” Yifan pulls Junmyeon down and kisses him. “I love you more though.”

Junmyeon snorts. “What is this? A competition?”

“When it’s you and me, everything is?”

“Shut up, like seriously. I am here trying to get you to fuck me, tch.”

Yifan laughs loudly and Junmyeon smiles a little. He also really likes Yifan’s loud laughter, and he is so, so weak for that silly gummy smile. He kisses the corner of Yifan’s mouth and the latter cups his neck to kiss him properly. Junmyeon moans when Yifan slips his tongue inside his mouth as the kiss gets messier and filthier. Yifan’s hands start running over his back and end up on his butt, squeezing the ample flesh and he groans in response. Yifan slips his hand under the elastic of the waistband and direct contact of skin against skin makes Junmyeon tremble. He pushes his crotch down against Yifan’s and as their erections brush against each other, they both moan.

Junmyeon pulls back from the kiss and gasps, “Lube.”

Yifan turns to his side and spots the small container of lube and a packet of condom by his head. He raises an eyebrow. He did hear Junmyeon pulling drawers, didn’t he? He says, “You keep lube by your bedside?”

“Listen, I knew I wanted to jump you when you arrived. So, I was prepared,” Junmyeon smirks and proceeds to slowly grind down on Yifan again. Even though his mind is lost in a haze of lust and how great Junmyeon feels on top of him, he is very sure he heard the other grumble under his breath, with loaded sarcasm, something like, “It only took us fourteen years to get here.”

Yifan gasps at the slow grind and pressure on his crotch. “Huh, lucky me then.” He grabs the lube bottle and says, his voice laced with hesitation, “Do you want to or do you want me to?”

Junmyeon grins and then drags his teeth over his lower lip. “To be honest, I want it to be you. You have, like, the perfect fingers?”

Yifan laughs and as Junmyeon moves off him, he changes his position. He is now hovering over Junmyeon, who is looking up at him with so much affection, that he nearly forgets to breathe. He pulls Junmyeon sweatpants, along with his boxers, down his legs and throws them to the floor. And wow, he realises all of Junmyeon is gorgeous. Yifan smiles as he touches Junmyeon’s thighs. He so badly wants to suck a few pretty bruises on the wide expanse of milky skin. He pushes Junmyeon’s legs apart and the latter frowns, wondering what the other is thinking when he yelps as Yifan sinks his teeth into the sensitive flesh on the inside of his thigh. “ _Yifan!_ ”

It is painful, but it also sends pleasure flooding his veins and gets his cock throbbing. He grabs Yifan’s hair by their roots and pulls. “Enough, you dick. Just fuck me already.”

Yifan laughs as he kisses his thigh one last time. He guesses he has time to appreciate those legs some other day. He grabs the bottle of lube and when he uncaps the bottle, he hears Junmyeon mumble, “Finally.” However, Yifan smirks; he is not done teasing Junmyeon yet. He coats his fingers with the clear liquid and doesn’t even insert his finger in, just circles the rim, feeling the muscles jump, and Junmyeon curses. He takes a deep breath before muttering, “You are such a little shit, I swear.”

Yifan pulls a pillow and places it under Junmyeon’s back. He inserts one finger and slowly starts to pump his finger, before adding another and Junmyeon bites his lip to stop the moans. Gosh, Yifan’s fingers are _better_ than what he fantasised. He can probably come like this. Eventually, Yifan puts in another finger and brushes against his prostate. Junmyeon keens and his back arches off the bed as his eyes close, with tears of pleasure beading at the corners. Yifan is deft with his fingers and Junmyeon nearly cries when he scissors his fingers, jabbing directly at his prostate. Yifan peppers small kisses on his thigh as he starts pumping his fingers, faster now. His own cock throbs and he cannot wait, but he holds on. He wants Junmyeon to be sure before he starts fucking him.

Yifan’s fingers are perfect and at each drag, Junmyeon loses a little bit of his mind. He grabs the bedsheet, bunching the fabric in his fist and he knows he is ready. He opens his eyes and gasps, “Yifan, stop.”

Yifan nods and understands. He quickly wipes his hands on the bedsheet and grabs the condom beside Junmyeon’s head (and drops a small kiss on his head). He rolls the condom over his cock and slathers some lube over it before pumping his length a few times. He pulls Junmyeon’s legs up and pulling his knees against his waist, he positions himself and asks, “Are you ready?”

“Yes, please, I need you now,” Junmyeon murmurs and as he looks up at Yifan with his watery eyes and flushed face, he is an epitome of sin and Yifan swallows. Sometimes he is stumped when he remembers he never realised how beautiful Junmyeon is. He smirks, “I am going to say something really cheesy right now.”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “I expect nothing else from you.”

Yifan laughs as he cups his face. His lips brush against Junmyeon’s as he says, “You are so beautiful, really. I am always amazed by that.”

Junmyeon grins and his already flushed cheeks become a deeper colour. He says, “You are so idiotic I swear.” Their lips meet in an open-mouthed kiss and as Yifan licks into his mouth, he enters him, slowly, inch by inch and Junmyeon’s head drops back into the pillow with a moan. Yifan kisses his chin and down his jaw and neck as he gives time to Junmyeon to adjust. Junmyeon feels breathless already and he needs Yifan to move. He exhales, “ _Move._ ”

Yifan puts his hand under Junmyeon’s knees and with his mouth pressed against the latter’s pulse, he pulls out and thrusts back in. Junmyeon sees stars behind his eyes and he moans out, “Oh, _oh._ ”

Yifan takes a breath, trying to collect himself because Junmyeon is perfect around him. He starts thrusting and at each push and pull, Junmyeon gets a little louder and little more lost in the haze of pleasure. And gosh, he is a sight when he is like this. Yifan doesn’t know what turns him on more—Junmyeon’s flushed face scrunched up in pleasure or his almost musical moans or the way Junmyeon’s muscles clench around his cock.

Junmyeon opens his eyes and he finds himself staring right into Yifan’s dark eyes and his breath hitches. He pulls down Yifan to slot his lips against his, and it’s all tongue and teeth and Yifan nips at his lower lip too hard as he pounds into him, but Junmyeon doesn’t complain, instead moans when Yifan rams straight into his prostate. A burst of heat travels up his body and it is too much. He closes his eyes as Yifan moves on to put some more marks on his collarbones, and when he bites down on his lips, he tastes iron on his tongue.

Suddenly, Junmyeon finds himself being lifted and when he opens his eyes, his face is too close to Yifan’s, who moves them so now Junmyeon is on his lap. This position leads to Yifan pushing in much deeper and Junmyeon sinks his teeth into Yifan’s neck to stop crying out loud. Yifan groans as Junmyeon bites him while meeting each thrust of his, “God, Junmyeon, you are so goddamn perfect.” His walls are tight and hot and Yifan knows he cannot last much longer.

He grabs Junmyeon by the neck and puts his mouth on the latter’s again. His nails dig deep into the supple flesh on Junmyeon’s butt and rams in harder and deeper. Junmyeon breath gets caught in his lungs as he whimpers, “Yifan, oh, please!”

Yifan looks down at Junmyeon’s cock, which is hard and red, curved against his abdomen. He quickly wraps his fingers around it and starts stroking. There is no finesse and his hands are rough, and Junmyeon _loves_ it. He chokes out Yifan’s name twice before his orgasm rips across his body violently, making him shake and arch his back. He comes in long spurts and some of it lands on Yifan’s chin. But the other doesn’t heed that as his thrusts get more haphazard and he thoroughly fucks Junmyeon through his orgasm.

Yifan clasps Junmyeon close to him, and with a guttural moan, he fills up the condom. Junmyeon feels Yifan’s cock pulsing inside him and it sends a keen shiver of desire rippling across his body. He plants tender kisses all over Yifan’s face as the latter climaxes and he doesn’t stop kissing when Yifan pulls out. The taller removes the condom and kisses Junmyeon back as they lie back down on the bed.

Yifan uses one end of the bedsheet to clean Junmyeon up and due to someone’s powerful pout, he returns to kiss his lover—no, fiancé. He didn’t miss the slim band of silver still on Junmyeon’s ring finger on his left hand. They are lying on their sides, still kissing each other tenderly. Yifan laces his fingers through Junmyeon’s left hand and brings it to his lips to kiss each knuckle. He murmurs when he reaches the ring finger, “I see you are still wearing this.”

Junmyeon grins and he hoods his eyes, feeling a little bashful, “I thought about it you know. I don’t mind marrying you, not one bit, even if the kids were not the reason why.”

Yifan’s eyes widen and his smile is a little foolish when he asks, disbelief colouring his voice, “Really?”

Junmyeon nods his head and kisses Yifan on his nose. “Yes. Let’s just skip the dating, I mean we already know each other enough. Dating is for strangers and I can probably write your autobiography.”

“True! I took mine off for the shooting, but I will put it back where it belongs,” Yifan laughs. He rubs circles on Junmyeon’s neck and his eyes soften. “I love you Kim Junmyeon. I am so glad it’s you.”

Junmyeon feels shy and exposed under Yifan’s reverent gaze even though he is naked and they just had sex, but not in a bad way. “I am glad it is you too, Wu Yifan.”

Yifan kisses Junmyeon’s temple. Junmyeon nuzzles into his chest and he is so happy and content right now, that he feels like he is ready to burst or propel into the sky like a rocket. Then, Yifan laughs, “You do know that shirt you ripped was from Burberry?”

Junmyeon scoffs. “Half of your closet is sponsored. Just smile and pose and smoulder at the camera and they will send you ten more like it.”

“Ah, you do know me so well!”

Junmyeon looks up and when he finds Yifan grinning down at him, he pinches Yifan’s side and grumbles, “You are lucky I love you.”

 

They have cleaned up and destroyed all evidence of their torrid reunion by the time the children return home with Sunny. The woman though spots the bruises on both their necks and raises a very suggestive eyebrow at them. Junmyeon blushes deeply while Yifan looks at the ceiling with his cheeks rapidly reddening as well. Things get more humiliating when Junseo asks, “Fanfan? Moonmoon? Did you two get into a fight? What are those?” He points at the love bites, and Junmyeon wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Meanwhile, Yifan decides to distract Junseo with gifts he brought back from Shanghai. The tactic works and all three children shout in joy and follow Yifan to the living room. Soon, the children are all over Yifan and Junmyeon smiles from the doorway, his heart warming up to the scene unfolding in front of him.

Junseo is rummaging through Yifan’s bag, not really heeding to his older sister scolding him while Junseo has draped himself over Yifan’s back like a human blanket and talking the older man’s ear off. Yifan notices Junmyeon is still standing outside and beckons him over. Junmyeon shakes his head and says, “I have to help Sunny with lunch.” Yifan pouts and Junmyeon cannot help but laugh at it.

As they all sit down to lunch a few hours later, Junmyeon asks Yifan with his brows furrowed, “You are off your diet, right?”

Yifan picks up his chopsticks and smiles. “Yes doctor.”

“Then why aren’t you eating more?” Junmyeon asks as he heaps an extra helping of food on his fiancé’s plate. Yifan squawks a little in protest, but calms down when he hears Junmyeon mumble. “Don’t go around fainting on me again.”

Yifan frowns. “Minseok told you?”

Junmyeon bites into his kimchi and nods. Yifan feels all warm and he quickly presses his lips against Junmyeon’s cheek. While Junmyeon gasps, Jihyun laughs, “No kissing while eating!”

Yifan cackles as Junmyeon turns red in embarrassment. He stomps his feet over Yifan’s, which stops the obnoxious laughter. Yifan bites his lip to stop himself from crying in pain and gives his best puppy eyes to Junmyeon who only rolls his in response.

After they are done with lunch, they head upstairs to Yifan’s room and Sunny chooses _Big Friendly Giant_ to watch. Yifan and Junmyeon sit together, however, Junseo manages to squeeze himself between them. With his head on Junmyeon’s lap and his legs on Yifan’s, Junseo falls asleep fifteen minutes into the movie. Junmyeon chuckles and runs his fingers through Junseo’s soft hair. He muses if the child needs a haircut or not when he feels soft lips on his temple. He looks up to see Yifan smiling at him with love and adoration and something else he cannot place in his eyes, but it makes him breathless all the same. He smiles back and puts his head on Yifan’s shoulder.

Jihyun and Sunny are discussing whether the movie followed the book or not and Junhyung shushes them. Junmyeon smiles and his heart swells in happiness. Looks like he found himself a family; with his free hand, he laces it through Yifan’s and when Yifan squeezes back, Junmyeon knows he has found contentment and he never has to be alone again. Beside him, Yifan too acknowledges his little, strange family and with them by his side, he knows that neither this house nor his life has to be empty ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hey, we are at the end, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for sticking around and giving this fic all the love. I am so floored by all the comments and kudos when it came to this story, and I hope to see you ALL OF YOU in my next Krisho, which won't be this fluffy, but okay...ANYWAY again, THANK YOU and the extra chapter is next, so ENJOY


	26. 10 Years Later

Jihyun runs up the stairs, glancing down at her watch, and hoisting her dress till her knees at the same time. She doesn’t want to trip on her dress and fall flat on her face tonight of all nights, thank you very much. The guests have all arrived and are spread all over the backyard while her parents are missing. She can guess what they are up to, and even though deep down she is afraid to find them making out again (the first time she did was terrible and she may still be traumatised by it), but someone has to do the job of bringing them downstairs. Her brothers (useless cretins) pushed her up the stairs, claiming to be busy.

To her relief, she finds the trapdoor open and shouts, “My dear dads, please stop kissing each other and come down!” She giggles when she hears some scuffling, a muffled curse and Junmyeon shouting back, “We are not!” Jihyun rolls her eyes, as if that is believable. Ten years since they got married and they still sneak around like teenagers. Jihyun, a teenager herself, doesn’t do that kind of crap.

She climbs the curved stairs and when she reaches the room, she smiles when she sees Junmyeon fixing Yifan’s tie, who is gazing down at his husband with the sappiest expression. They don’t notice her as she smiles at them with a fond expression. She might have been very young when she lost her real parents, but her uncles have filled that emptiness in her life and even though she is seventeen now, they still baby her. And her evil brothers as well.

It was Junseo and Junhyung who started referring to her uncles as appa and baba, for Junmyeon and Yifan respectively. The two adults were taken aback as first, but soon warmed up to it. Jihyun was eight and she did feel conflicted about calling her uncles father or give them that position in her life. But one day, as she was returning from school with a friend, who asked if Wu Yifan, the actor, was really her father, she said yes, and realised that over the years, her uncles had become more than just uncles. They took care of her, they were always there for her and most importantly, they loved her unconditionally. They really were her parents, and she started to call them appa and baba as well. She swears to this day that Yifan might have teared up a little at the first time she called him baba.

They still visit her parents’ grave on their death anniversary and their inheritance has been put aside for their college education. Jihyun has her college entrance examinations next year, but she has already made up her mind to follow Junmyeon’s footsteps, which she hasn’t let him know yet.

Junmyeon finally notices her presence and his eyes crinkle in a smile. He is going to turn forty in a few days, yet he is still handsome, even with the crows’ feet and faint laugh lines. He hadn’t lost his youthfulness, and Yifan only got better with age (Junmyeon and Vogue Korea wholeheartedly agree). Together, they still make a beautiful couple. Today they are dressed too casually for their own anniversary, but Junmyeon refused to dress up in a tuxedo in May. He didn’t even wear one on their wedding.

Jihyun skips up to her parents and says, “Jiyong uncle is here and I think Namjoon uncle is having a heart attack.”

“Right,” Junmyeon laughs. “I forgot Namjoon stops functioning around GD.”

Yifan chuckles, “You go ahead, I will be right there.” Junmyeon frowns, but says nothing else as he climbs down the stairs. As soon as he disappeared, Yifan sighs, “I almost thought he had caught me hiding his birthday gift.”

Jihyun raises an eyebrow and her eyes gleam with excitement, “What did you get him?”

Yifan grins and beckons her over to the bookshelf. Anytime he has to hide anything from Junmyeon, he keeps it up here, knowing very well his short husband will never get to it. He brings down a heavy package, which looks like an album. Jihyun tilts her head in curiosity and when Yifan passes it to her, she realises it is a scrapbook and as she opens it, her mouth drops.

The pages of the scrapbook are filled with the many pictures Junmyeon (and later Jihyun) had taken off their little family. Jihyun would borrow the Leica camera from Junmyeon every now and then after she turned thirteen and she asks, her voice low, “Is this why you asked me for all the pictures that day?”

“Yup!” Yifan smiles and points to one where no one is staring at the camera, busy arguing amongst themselves about something. “I specifically asked for the ones that weren’t perfect.”

“I see now,” Jihyun giggles, though her eyes well up when she finds that one horrendous picture Sunny took at the wedding. It wasn’t the older woman’s fault; a caterpillar had dropped on Junseo from nowhere and his screaming had led to Junhyung screaming, who had stepped on her foot. Jihyun had screamed and pushed into Junmyeon, who had stumbled and knocked into Yifan. At the end, they all had ended up on a pile on the ground, but the picture forever immortalised the exact moment Yifan had started to stumble.

Yifan notices Jihyun giggling at the picture, and he chuckles along. But when he spots her watery eyes, he curls a finger under her chin and pushes her face up, his own scrunching in worry, “Jihyunnie?”

Jihyun can’t really explain herself. Ten years, a decade, has passed and she has lost so much, and gained so much as well. She closes the book and throws her hands around Yifan’s waist, tucking her face on his chest, “Thank you, baba.”

Yifan still finds himself getting surprised at being called “father” by Jihyun, especially since he knew the oldest Ahn was against it initially. He embraces Jihyun back and pats her head. “I don’t know what you are thanking me for, but you are welcome?”

Jihyun laughs and pulls back. She wipes her face and groans, “Oh crap, please tell me my makeup is okay, or else Seohyun aunty will murder me.”

Yifan laughs and puts the book back on top. He throws an arm around her and says, “Don’t worry she likes you more than she likes me, so she just might spare you.”

Jihyun laughs as she lets her father steer her down the stairs. As they walk outside, she finds her brothers chasing Minhyun, Minseok and Seohyun’s son, and she shakes her head at that. Kyungsoo and Seokjin are deep in discussion about something as the children of both men run around their legs. At another corner, Namjoon is bowing at Jiyong, who is cackling at something as Junmyeon palms his face and Jungkook rolls his eyes.

Yifan finds his boss arriving and with a light squeeze on her shoulder, he lets go of her to greet Taeyeon and Changmin. Their son spots Junseo and Junhyung and hops over to join them. Jihyun keeps standing there, smiling. She can recognise a lot of famous people and she finds it strange sometimes how her life shaped up. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees someone walking up to her. She turns her head to see Dahyun walking up to her. They had colour coordinated their outfits to white and Seohyun had gushed and called them angels. Dahyun links their elbows together and leans down to whispers, “So, guess what Changmin uncle has a driver for tonight.”

Jihyun frowns, “And why do I need to know this?”

“The driver is their oldest son after all,” Dahyun smirks as she watches her friend blush. “Your prince charming.”

“Who said I like Taeyong!” Jihyun tries to hit her friend, who swerves and then runs away, cackling. Jihyun almost takes off after her, but then she hears loud laughter and when she looks over her shoulders, she sees Junmyeon and Yifan standing together and laughing, their hands linked together. She sighs, a little in awe, and wishes that they stay like this forever.

She remembers their fights, and she remembers how difficult it was at times. But they have managed to find their happiness, and with them, she has found hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Since Juhyun is Seohyun and Irene is Joohyun, I kept Seohyun and did not take her real name. Two people with the same name would end up confusing me...:<


End file.
